


Wayward Wings

by LazuliTears



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, College AU, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Minor Injuries, Streetfighter AU, Violence, tags will be updated as the fic progresses to avoid spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-21
Updated: 2015-06-16
Packaged: 2018-03-18 15:06:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 42,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3574190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LazuliTears/pseuds/LazuliTears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tsukishima Kei has forgotten. Or at least that's what he kept convincing himself out of silent grief ever since his best friend dropped everything he's worked hard for and seemed to have vanished completely in his second year of high school. He thought that maybe, given enough time, he would forget about the boy with the bright smile on a freckled face that stood out from most, the boy who's been with him through thick and thin, the one who pulled him out of his sorry unmotivated state— the one who abandoned him for reasons unknown.</p><p>Tsukishima Kei has forgotten. Or at least that's what he kept convincing himself for four whole years. Until he meets someone in a sickeningly familiar— no, nostalgic— way, for that memory was once the very foundation of what friendship they had back in their younger years. And the memories he tried so hard to suppress came crashing back down on him, until he fell face first in an unfamiliar world— the world where his best friend disappeared to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Reminiscent

The rain poured violently over their heads; and along with the harsh noise of the heavy downpour around them, was also the sound of footsteps from both themselves and from the distance. They kept running, and despite the water that slipped against the skin of their hands, they didn’t let go of what they held on for dear life. It was, after all, the only thing that would relieve the pain brought on to them by hunger, and the only thing that would more or less bring a little comfort and perhaps hope for at least another night.

They always managed, of course. It was a daily routine of struggling to be unseen, as they tried to stay alive in these dirty and run down streets they call home. It was hard work and pain, but routine nonetheless.

The boy gracefully maneuvered his way around the obstacles that stood before him. He ran despite the slippery road and he jumped over the empty discarded boxes and the trash cans that littered the empty streets without as much as a scratch or a hint of fatigue. The freezing wind embraced him as he rushed past, and he struggled to keep his eyes from squinting at the gust of wind that blew unceremoniously from the direction he was heading to. The boy didn't get to dodge the next bin that he passed by and his hip made contact with the light metal container, making a loud clanking noise as the thing toppled over. Still, he ran and ran and didn't stop running, didn't stop to see if they were still after them because he was sure they were, and he didn't stop to make sure his companions were still with him because he knows they are.

They didn't know when they first let their sense of morality slip past their young and once innocent minds. Maybe to them, this was the norm and the only way of life in their options, but he was raised better than this. Growing up, he was taught that stealing and hurting people was wrong and he was taught to be wary of people who did such.

He didn't expect to turn out like that himself. But anybody in a similar predicament would do the same if it meant living to see the bleary but endearing sunrise that shone over them every morning. Anybody would do it if they had nowhere else to go, and the only arms that were open enough to welcome you belonged to those who dirtied it for the sake of living.

The hooded boy makes a sharp turn in an alleyway, discreet and unseen as his jacket blended with the shadows. His two other peers crouched, backs hunched and feet quick as they followed suit. They stilled on their hiding spots behind a large dumpster and they tried to listen in on the hurrying footsteps that grew closer and closer, with flashlights briefly passing by, until the sound of steps against puddles dimmed in the distance.

They all let out a breath they didn't know they held as they all stood up from where they concealed themselves, bags of everyday necessities clutched on their hands. The three children of the night then proceeded to walk with relief in their chests, and disappeared into the darkness of another alleyway where they made their home.

 

* * *

 

The pitter patter of rain drops tapping on the windowsill filled the silence of the small living room. Aside from that, there was the soft sound of the ticking wall clock above Kei's desk and the distant chattering coming from the television, forgotten as the older Tsukishima's focus stayed fixated on the laptop in front of him. Despite these, the comfortable silence lingered in the air.

Realizing for the sixth time that he's been slouching again as he wrote his handwritten report, Kei straightens his back, arms stretching and palms flat on his desk and lets out a gurgly moan. Akiteru laughs at the sound.

"God, Kei. You sound older than I do," the older blond looks up from his own workspace at the couch, a ghost of an amused smile present on his face. Kei turns his neck to scowl at his brother, lips pursed as a tired sigh escapes him.

"I don't want to hear that from you, Akiteru," Kei turns his attention back to the unfinished paper in front of him, remembering to sit up straight this time.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Akiteru fakes a hurt tone, but the smile on his face remained. "My, my, Kei. You've grown huh? Since when did you start calling me Akiteru? What happened to that cute little brother who called me 'nii-chan'?"

"I started calling you that when your cute little brother grew three inches taller than you," He turns back to flash a sly grin at the man, the way his brother hates. Well, as far as 'hate' would go.

Akiteru throws a cushion at him and Kei ducks his head and moves himself just in time for the soft object to hit his back. Akiteru huffs, "You're so mean!"

"Whatever, man," Kei laughs with him and finally returns to writing his work. "Can you like, get some coffee or something? I think I'll be staying up late tonight. Again,"

"How demanding,"

Akiteru stands up from the couch anyway, and Kei hears him walk towards the kitchen. He busies himself, and the room falls into silence again with only the sound of his pen scribbling against the paper on his desk. His eyes were already drooping low, eyeglasses slowly sliding off his face. He blinks to wake himself up and he adjusts his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose as he tried to make sense of what he wrote on the paper, basically asleep on his seat already. Kei clicks his tongue at the messy way he misspelled three words on this one sentence.

Kei hears a sigh from behind him and it was only now that he realized that Akiteru has been watching him work. He didn't have to look up to make sure it wasn't some sort of poltergeist with a warm aura haunting their apartment. Although he didn't mind if it _was_ a poltergeist. Poltergeists were violent spirits and he'd rather get killed by one if it meant having to not write this paper anymore. The smell of coffee invades his senses and Kei relaxes.

"You look stressed, Kei. You should rest already. It's getting late," Akiteru places his brother's mug on the desk and then runs his hand on his back. The younger boy rests back in his seat, letting out another sigh as a reply to his older brother's invitation. Akiteru steps away for a bit, making his way to the window just beside the desk.

"Why don't we open a window at least? It's getting a bit stuffy in here,"

The moment Akiteru clasped the latch loose and pushed the glass outward to open the window, a chilling breeze enters their warm apartment, blowing the paper Kei was previously working on, along with a few others, towards the middle of the room. Kei clicks his tongue again in annoyance and shot his brother a look before he went to get it. Akiteru mutters a sheepish apology.

"It's okay. I was gonna rewrite it anyway," Kei dusts himself off after picking a piece of paper up, walking to another part of the room where another paper has landed.

"Again?" Akiteru leans against the window frame. "But isn't that the third time you've rewritten that entire page? And why can't you just type it on your laptop anyway?"

Kei shrugs, stretching up after picking up two more pieces under the sofa. "Prof really likes messing with us,"

"Can't you like, just get a white out and paint over the errors?"

"That's messy. He doesn't like messy papers either,"

"Wow. None of my college professors were that strict when it came to stuff like this,"

"Yeah, I supposed college was different back in the ancient times,"

Another cushion came hurdling towards Kei's direction and it hit his head with a soft but heavy impact. It was the same cushion Akiteru had thrown at him earlier in the evening. Kei snickers as he tiptoes to another location in the living room.

Even after all these years, it was still his thing to rile people up. Subtly, of course, because if there was one thing he learned earlier that year is that a burning tongue such as his wasn't welcome as much in where he now studies in Minato, Tokyo. Unless he wanted professors failing him left and right. Kei could do it of course, to go on with his day without ticking anybody off, but not completely. Being an asshole was his thing, and there are just times that he can't help himself when he slips a few snarks here and there. But he learned to at least tone it down a notch. Even though by the end of the day, it was his brother Akiteru who was on the receiving end of this. Akiteru didn't mind at all. Because usually, it was about childish stuff like how Akiteru's grown as an old man. He falls for it every time.

Kei jolts from his position when he hears a loud noise from outside the window, and the sound of someone banging their knee on the desk followed by the sound of porcelain knocking against wood. Akiteru swears under his breath and Kei stops whatever he's doing as his eyes shifted to Akiteru's direction.

"Oh my god, Kei, I am so sorry--"

Brown liquid was dripping from his desk down on the floor, soaking the neat stack of unwritten paper besides where Akiteru had placed his mug, and staining the other neat stack at the other end of the table. It took about only a split second for Akiteru to react and he tries to save Kei's hard work but it was too late, papers adorned with neat handwriting and probably very important content now drowned with caffeine. Akiteru looked hysteric with his wide horrified eyes.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Akiteru!?"

 

 

* * *

 

 

Tsukishima Kei wasn't a morning person by the slightest. While he should have been used to it considering that he's been waking up early for school ever since he was old enough to comprehend words, mornings and him never really worked out at all. It was one thing to wake up at the asscrack of dawn every morning in hopes of even getting to his first class on time, but after the impromptu all-nighter he had, he wasn't sure if he was going to last the whole day without towering over in the middle of the hallway out of exhaustion. It wasn't even enough time to actually finish rewriting all fifty-six pages of his report on sedimentary fossils and he couldn't try to even write it in between classes. The paper was due in that exact period and Kei thinks that maybe he can convince his professor to give him an extension, at least for a few hours and maybe he could pass it before he went home that day.

It was granted, thank god, when another one of the students requested for it as well and soon there was a chorus of it in the lecture room. Their instructor was rendered unable to have the audacity to turn it down so he just went with it, under the condition that he won't be accepting papers past five in the afternoon. And he went on and on about how he won't take it if it was even 5:01pm.

It took a few hours of sneaking to write the rest of his report in between classes and an hour and a half of break to spend finishing it off. And with a blissed out sigh, Kei rests his head on the desk in front of him in hopes of catching a few minutes of sleep, there in his corner of the school library, before his class starts in half an hour.

He ends up running late to his next lecture by a few minutes. At least he was able to pass his paper that day.

"Kei? You home?" Akiteru calls out from the front door as he shimmies out of his work shoes. There was no reply and he didn't really need one as he took note of the light emanating from the living room. Kei wasn't on the couch as he'd expected though, so he assumes from the bag messily slumped on his personal desk and the pair of sneakers misplaced away from the shoe rack that Kei was indeed home. Maybe he's in his room, catching up on some sleep.

Akiteru settles his own things on the couch before walking to the kitchen to immediately get to work on their dinner. Kei better be thankful that he's living with a fully-fledged adult who was willing to spoil him with his cooking and his tutoring and being the butt of his jokes. The older blond smiles to himself though, as he measured the rice to water ratio before putting it in the rice cooker. Really, despite being rude and cold and off-putting, Akiteru thinks that Kei is a good and responsible kid. He's polite in his own ways and doesn't really ask for anything from Akiteru save for a few small favors.

Akiteru's smile remained as a memory passed through his mind. He remembered the day Kei nonchalantly mentioned that he went to get a part time job at a convenience store near his university. When Akiteru asked why, his younger brother said that it was only fair that he started paying for his share in the rent. Akiteru's heart swelled at that despite how small that may seem to matter to Kei. And that was around a year ago, a few weeks after the start of Kei's first semester. He doesn't work there anymore though, as Kei chose to work part-time at the small bookstore nearer to where they live just a few months ago.

He suddenly felt all nostalgic and reminiscent, and after setting up the pot over the stove where he’s cooking the curry and lets it simmer on its own for a while, Akiteru walks back to the living room in his own pace. The blond stops in front of the television and moves down to sit cross-legged. The small cabinet just below it made a small creak as Akiteru pulled on the handles to open it, and then pulling the first box he saw from inside. A smile was already gracing his features when he was running a finger against the many photo albums encased in the worn-looking box and he struggled to pull one out as they were all tightly compressed on one another. He got one of them however, and the other albums fell and filled the space in the box where he had picked out one of them.

The Tsukishimas have always been organized in a lot of things, and of course Kei and Akiteru picked up on their parents' habit of putting labels on everything, sorting things alphabetically and the likes. This photo album had "Kei's sixth birthday" scribbled on the spine of the cover, and Akiteru immediately recognized the neat handwriting as his mother's. He opens the small book and begins skimming through the pages filled with faded out memories.

Kei was smiling in most of them, looking like he was having the time of his six-year-old life. He probably did though. This was the day they went to the amusement park for his birthday and it was Kei's first time too, if Akiteru remembered correctly. He vaguely remembers the way Kei gripped on his arm as he pulled him to the nearest rides, the way he gripped even tighter when they rode the carousel together and the look Kei gave him when he assured him that no, he won't fall off the horse and he's going to be fine. There was a picture of them at the end with their parents, with Kei cradled in his arms and the young boy looked tired yet happy at the same time.

Akiteru then briefly wonders when the hell did Kei's growth spurt appeared that resulted to him growing over a hundred and ninety-three centimeters tall at age eighteen and a half. It was a good thing it ended there, now that he's twenty.

The blond goes over a few more photo albums, one about a family outing they had and another taken from when Akiteru graduated high school. Sadly, Kei wasn't in this one a lot, and Akiteru frowned slightly at the thought of the reason why.

He opens another one as the enticing smell of curry wafted into the living room. He'll tend to that later after one quick skim in the book. It was an album of Kei in an elementary field trip, and he can tell that the boy himself was the one who took these shots as judged by the weird angles and the shaky focus in most of them. The picture at the end was one of the only good shots in the album and it was of Kei and a friend of his. The freckled boy beside his brother sported a grin brighter in comparison to the cool smile on Kei's. Seeing it made Akiteru smile as well, but it was short lived as a memory comes to mind; a memory of Kei locking himself in his room only to come out looking far different than what Akiteru was used to seeing.

Akiteru hears a door opening, followed by the sound of familiar heavy footsteps and then a yawn.

Kei scratches the back of his head and licks his lips as he made his way to the kitchen. "You're home early," he states as a fact.

"Yeah. I finished my share of the papers today so..." The older Tsukishima trailed off, finding no need to continue his answer. Akiteru noticed the heavy look in his brother's eyes, the crooked glasses and the white pre-loved headphones that slung lazily on his neck. He frowns. "You slept with your headphones again, Kei. You're gonna bust your ears and wake up deaf someday I swear,"

"I _may_ have put them on _after_ I woke up and _before_ I went out of my room. You can't prove I slept with them on," his brother states condescendingly. "Man, what's that smell? Pork curry? I'm starving,"

A swear escapes from Akiteru as he stood up quickly to dash to the pot on the stove. He'd completely forgotten about dinner. Luckily, it didn't burn and Akiteru busied himself in stirring the dish. Meanwhile, Kei fished out a bottle of water from the fridge and drank straight from it.

"Ugh... I feel like shit," Kei groans, wiping his lips with the edge of his sleeve. Akiteru breathes a laugh.

"Well that's what you get for staying up so late,"

Kei groans again, and turns to Akiteru to give him an annoyed look, but it looked a lot more comical to the older blond than intimidating. "You sound like mom, old man. And I wasn't the one who spilled coffee all over my homework,"

"Let it go, will you? That was an accident! And you were the one who told me to get coffee for you!"

"Oh, okay then it's my fault," Kei's voice rang with sarcasm. He turns to the direction of the living room and raises his voice as if to call out for someone. "I'm sorry, desk. I didn't mean to shower you with coffee the other day! It's not even healthy!"

Akiteru just laughs at the whole display, Kei lifting his hand to cover the side of his mouth with false shame. The older just shakes his head at the childish actions and turns back to the curry on the stove, turning the stove off and stepping to the side to reach for a bowl. Kei on the other hand was still rummaging through the fridge, not really looking for anything. It was something he did when he was bored. He looks up and notices the mess on the living room floor.

"What's with all that?" Kei asks nonchalantly.

"Oh," Akiteru follows his gaze and pursed his lips before answering. "I was um, cleaning. Yeah,"

His brother just hums in response, and brought the water bottle to his lips to take another swig. Kei didn't notice Akiteru staring at him, and Akiteru himself didn't realize that he was staring as a whole lot of questions came rushing in his mind. Questions that he hasn't asked in years because they never really did know the answer. Akiteru didn't mean to voice out one of them.

"I wonder what happened to him,"

"Who?" Kei turns to Akiteru, bottle clasped on one hand hanging in the air as he waited for Akiteru.

The older blond hesitated to answer for a second, stunned slightly that Kei heard him mumble the question out loud. But like Kei, it's not like he had much of a filter over his mouth and he spoke without thinking much.

"Yamaguchi,"

It was subtle, but the way Kei's shoulder tensed and his grip on the bottle tightened ever so slightly didn't get past Akiteru at all. He should've kept his mouth shut, should've dismissed he said anything. He didn't mean to phrase it like that as well.

But it's been so long since they've last talked about this. Way too long.

"He went away, remember? To god knows where," Kei mutters, softly but solidly like he was stating the obvious. He spat the last sentence and he licked his drying lips as if to take back the way he said it.

"Yeah, but..." Akiteru started and he busied himself with preparing two smaller bowls with rice, trying to sound as conversational as possible. "...Did he ever tell you why-- I mean... Where he went..?"

"No,"

"Really? He didn't tell you? Weren't you two close? Best fri--"

A hard palm made contact with the varnished wooden counter and Kei tried to mask his nerve by smoothing his hand over where he hit the surface, fingers drumming softly but restlessly on it. Akiteru was silent, and Kei was silent, and so was the entire apartment. The taller boy sighed, placing the bottle back in the refrigerator and walking past Akiteru and out into the living room. Akiteru didn't try to turn his head to where Kei has been pacing, but he followed what he can with his eyes. The silence lasted for an uncomfortable amount of time.

It was when he noticed Kei heading straight back to his bedroom that Akiteru decided to finally call out to him. "Kei? Where are you going? Aren't you going to eat--?"

"Not hungry,"

He didn't slam the door shut, but he might as well have with how hard the action seemed to clatter the tense air of their shared apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!!! So I promised a multichap fic for this pairing like a few months ago I think and I finally got around to writing one. Gotta be honest though, choosing an idea for a plot was pretty hard. I juggled through at least four different AUs that I felt like really good ideas~
> 
> But in the end, I chose streetfighter. Why did I choose streetfighter? Because I like violence that's why and I have absolutely no idea how to write scenes like that lmao so I figured it would be great practice hah
> 
> Initially this fic was just supposed to be tsukkiyama centric and I was just supposed to focus on the two of them but then I thought hey, why not just go crazy and put everyone in it. So yes!!! Karasuno and some other characters will make their appearances one by one. Who they are and what their role in the story, I won't tell yet~ I'll update the character tags as I go along~


	2. Devoid

_I’m sorry._

Kei closed his eyes momentarily and the darkness behind his eyelids brought comfort to him and his tired mind. He was sure to fall asleep right then and there, if only he wasn't on the train right now.

_I can’t keep living here._

He felt the train shift, and without his attention at the present moment, Kei almost stumbles on his feet and he grips on one of the handles with a little more force than deemed necessary. It was that or toppling over another poor passenger. Kei tries to be attentive of his surroundings, tries to stay awake. Once again, he didn't sleep well the night before.

_Good bye._

A weight settled itself somewhere in Kei's chest, and for a moment he was confused. It was probably because of the amount of people pressed up against him in the morning rush and the whole physical contact thing is making him edgy. Yeah. It was probably that. Kei gives out an inaudible sigh, small and discreet, yet it seemed to hang heavy around him.

The unending train of thoughts matching the speed of the one he's on right now made Kei almost miss his stop. When he got out of the cramped space along with a few who got off as well, he took a deep breath and savored the fresh air he was deprived of in the train ride. Still, the weight never left him and it trudged along with him in the short walk to the university.

"You look constipated, Tsukishima," The short boy with the short blond hair spoke in monotone when Kei sat on their usual table in the college lobby. Kei looks at him from the other side of the table.

"I'm surprised you can even see me with your face practically glued on that laptop of yours," Kei tries to snap back but was too tired to do so, and all he managed to do is replicate the boredom in Kenma's tone.

Said pudding-haired boy spares a glance his way and immediately turns his attention back to his laptop without so much as a peep. Kei was left with nothing to do, so he fishes his phone out from his pocket and tries to connect to the lobby's WiFi. It doesn't work.

Kenma's fingers moved and tapped furiously against the soft-touch keyboard of his laptop, not in a way that meant that he was typing an overdue paper. Kei can only think that he's probably gotten his hands on a new game.

"Good morning!" The familiar sing-song voice and a heavy hand on Kei's shoulder made his mood shift slighter down under. The one behind him seemed to have sensed the way Kei went rigid under his touch. "Oh hey. You okay? You look constipated,"

"That's exactly what I said just now," Kenma cuts in with the same tone he's been using the whole morning.

Kei exhales an exasperated sigh as the black-haired boy sits beside him, arm prepped on the plastic bench's backrest and around Kei's shoulders. Kei cringes and Kenma seemed to have noticed this.

"Tsukishima's just a little peachy today so just lay off till he gets his morning coffee or something," Kenma spoke, eyes not tearing away from the screen. "Kuroo, have you heard of this game?"

Tetsurou makes an interested noise and picks himself up to sit beside Kenma, eyes lighting up at the sight in Kenma's laptop. "Duh! Of course! This was really popular back then. You've only played it now?" Disbelief laced his voice, but he didn't look like he was making fun of Kenma at all. More like amusing him, maybe. Kei decides to leave them be, tune them out with the headphones that idled around his neck while he waited until it was only five minutes left till his first class for the day.

And tune them out he did, along with everybody and everything else. Lectures and conversations flew into one ear and out the other, and he tripped all over his feet several times during the day. Kei was out of it; riddled with thoughts he didn't want and didn't admit to have. He wouldn't be caught dead with these as the last things he had his mind fixated on.

_I can’t keep living here anymore._

The train station always had this many people around this hour and Kei had to weigh in mind which route back home was the least inconvenient. On one hand, taking the bus home would be a nice change of pace. The station was a few blocks away, a rather long walk from the university in comparison to the distance of the train station which was only a street over. But it was too cold to walk and it didn't help that evening was fast approaching, and the temperature dropped significantly at night. Not to mention the chance of rain. On the other hand, the train would get him home quicker and if there's anything he wanted the most in the world right about now is the bed in his room. But again, the train station was full of people rushing to get home from workplaces and schools, and judging by that it might actually take him longer to get home.

He chooses to take the bus.

_I’m sorry._

Kei slips on his headphones again as he walked briskly through the cold streets of Minato. There were a few people out there with him, just a few, and Kei passed by them like they were shadows. Maybe he could take a little detour and drop by a convenience store, get something to eat. A slow melody plays with acoustic guitars and the soft beat of drums eminent and Kei frowns slightly. It didn't help his deteriorating mood at all. He wanted to change the song immediately, but found it hard to.

_Good bye._

Kei sighs.

They might as well been their last words.

He's been trying to forget, but among the things he wanted to but failed to actually bury deep down, it was their actual last words to him that he found hard to remember. He couldn’t remember when was exactly the last time he’s heard that voice, can’t remember what was it they talked about last. He wasn’t sure if he had actually forgotten, or maybe he was subconsciously deterring it. Either way, Kei didn't need it; he didn't need these words scribbled neatly on a piece of paper. What he needed was to hear them, and maybe, just maybe, he could've at least asked where they were going, instead of why they left.

Kei used to think— would he have accepted it if he remembered what Yamaguchi has last told him? What was the last thing he heard from the boy that now only existed in his memories?

Kei stops himself from walking, but resumes walking again immediately right after. He huffs a laugh, a bitter laugh, as he paced and turned to an empty street. He hasn't even said or even thought of the boy's name in what seemed like years, hasn't heard it only until last night when Akiteru asked. It bought an uncomfortable chill up his spine.

But he might have just felt the breeze that greeted him, cold and harsh. Kei feels the faint drop of the weeping sky on the back of his hand, and soon after he felt the tears on his head. He pulls up the hood of his mint-colored jacket over his hair and adjusts the scarf tucked neatly around his neck.

He felt empty. It was empty. Everything was. From his chest that once ached for answers to the quiet streets illuminated by nothing more than the setting sun behind him. The only thing that filled the emptiness was the ever changing songs that played from Kei's headphones.

And another person being pursued by three others in the wayside.

A person staggers backwards, clutching to what seemed like a worn-looking messenger bag while one of the three bigger-looking individuals taunts them with a laugh. Kei paid them no mind, but he passed by the alleyway where the person dressed in a black hoodie and dirty tan shorts got chased into. He couldn't help but turn a head at them as the three menaces preyed upon the poor figure. Normally he would mind his own business, but this wasn't a common sight for Kei at all.

There was also something oddly nostalgic about the scene that made Kei stop in his tracks entirely, and he watched.

A memory plays into mind. A playground. Four kids. Three of them standing over one. The one who sat covered with dirt clutched a bag as tears filled their eyes.

Kei watched the scene unfold. An empty alley. Four men. Three of them standing over one. The one who sat covered in mud clutched a bag as fear became imminent in their eyes.

"Come on, kid. Just give it up already,"

"Or maybe you want us to beat it off of you?" One of them closed in.

It was a dangerous predicament, something that no normal person usually fucks around with. And the three looked just as dangerous as Kei had thought. They oozed threat and the scent of what seemed like bloodlust made Kei uneasy. It was clear that they were out and about specifically preying on unsuspecting victims like the one they locked onto. The one on the ground didn’t look any less shady compared to them however, not with the way his face was blocked by their hood. Yet Kei couldn't stop himself from walking towards there and scoffing, loud enough for them to hear.

"Pathetic," he says under his breath and he doubt the three, whose attention now on him, heard it with the way he muffled himself with his scarf. Why he said that one particular word, he had no idea himself.

"Hey, man. Why don't you go walk away now and mind your own business?" The man, who has short greasy brown hair and had a scar on his cheek, in front speaks with intimidation. The other two started shifting towards him, both having wary expressions and Kei can vaguely see how one of them tightens their fist. Kei was suddenly hit with the realization of how life threatening the situation he's gotten himself into. He was probably really deluded, or confused, because of the amount of things circling his mind.

He could bolt out of there right now, just fucking run and never look back. But if there was one thing that Tsukishima Kei _doesn’t_ do, it was to lower his pride by fleeing from the threats that loomed over his tall form.

Kei was taught not back down. And not back down, he did.

The moment he took a step forward, the moment he tilted his chin at them, eyes narrowing and own hands balling into fists, a sharp pain from his stomach where he's been hit by a fist made him double over. The man with the scar brings down an elbow to his nape, and immediately but not quick enough, Kei retreats back to dodge, the edge of the man's elbow just scraping the top of his head. Kei charges forward again, taking a swing of his right hand and his knuckles successfully land on the other's face.

After that, it was a series of limbs and fists that threatened to break him and Kei fighting back. The other two followed and Kei knew he didn't stand a chance, not when the one with the scar manages to block one of his hits, deflecting it by swinging his left forearm and Kei was left with an opening where the other pierces through with his right fist connecting with Kei's cheek.

The second Kei toppled backwards, he was met with a series of kicks and he was rendered unable to do anything but block his face from further injuries Every sole that made contact with his form brought him stinging hot pain and Kei can actually feel the bruises forming.

He didn't know what the actual fuck he was expecting out of this when he made his presence known. Kei is an idiot, and he's confirming that now before he slips into unconsciousness. Before he was actually able to do so, however, he immediately notices the lack of another weight kicking down on him and the other two stopping as well, loud curses trailing off of their filthy mouths.

Kei tries to open his eyes, but the pain was stopping him from doing so and his glasses were thrown somewhere when he was punched in the face. But he forces his eyes open and beyond the blurring world around him, he could make out the faint form of a figure in black, throwing punches left and right. Kei squints in hopes of catching a sharper glimpse.

The one who laid on the ground clutching a bag earlier catches a fist swinging directly right at them, their hand quickly around the oppressor’s wrist and the boy steps to the side as he pulled on the limb and his own fist connected to other's cheek. He was only allowed to have a fraction of a second to turn, and he didn't get to turn around completely, before he reflectively ducks as another arm swooshes just above his head with force. Left with an opening, the hooded person swings his fist upwards so hard that Kei could've sworn that the poor man came flying off of them.

“You’re dead-!”

The man with the scar charges at him from the side, spewing different kinds of insults and swears that barely flinched the boy, and with a hand on the offending limb that almost hit him and an arm and shoulder expertly shifting below the larger man's weight, the boy flips the other and the scarred man lands on his back with a pained grunt.

Kei thought that the entire thing came straight out of an action movie. But he was instantly reminded of how cruelly real it was for a second, and Kei got scared as he watched the hooded one approach one of the men who was still conscious but laid on the muddy ground. They loom over the pained individual, feet planting themselves on either side of the man's placid arms. They then grip the man by the collar of his shirt and they raise their own fist, and then bringing down to land one, two, three punches until the man went limp.

And Kei stared ahead as they did it- eyes wide and mouth gaping in mild fright- stared at the hooded stranger who stood straight, shoulders perked and hands still clenched despite the visible strain present all over their body shaking in adrenaline. Kei didn't realize he was staring until they turn to him, face blurry due to Kei's lack of perception.

The person clad in dirty black moves towards him but stopped a few inches away and crouched as they picked something up from the ground. Kei looked at them warily and on guard but they pay him no mind and hands Kei the object.

When Kei didn't react, still stunned from the fight, the stranger retracts their hand and inspects the glasses before wiping the lens on their jacket. They push the glasses back to Kei afterwards and the blond takes it wordlessly.

And just like that, the stranger was gone, running off deeper into the alley and up a metal fence, and as Kei continued to stare with glasses now prepped up his nose, he could make out the distinct pattern on their jacket.

Wings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My exams have been put off for another three days :((( so I'm still bent over studying for it ahhhhh but I'll try to upload this thing weekly!!! or if I go at it, maybe twice a week~
> 
> woopwoop we're finally going somewhere!!! i'm still working on how the flow of this plot will go so I apologize if it seems like it's pacing too slow _(:3_/ L)_
> 
> Thank you so much for the comments on the last chapter!!! They really motivated me into posting this one and writing the for the next new chapter~


	3. Standpoint

To those who lived a normal life, those who pass the sidewalks with nothing in mind but haste towards the destination they're going, the streets would be anything but life threatening. Mild danger oozes from the corners of the outside world from their eyes, yes, but to those who littered the wayside like street rats knew far more.

Left and right, there were people wasting away in a puddle of their mistakes, people falling into insanity as they spend the last of their hours writhing in hunger. They were hidden away from the eyes of society, yet they were a sight that is anything but uncommon to these people living in the shadows.

Fear gripped her heart, and her eyes flickered at every direction as she ran. The moment she left her home, she knew exactly that she wouldn't last in this dangerous world she set foot in. Someone like her didn't belong here, but at the time, she thought that anywhere was better than the hell she once called her home. Although now, the girl with the blonde hair who ran barefooted in the dark alley weighed which exactly was better: dying in a house where she was scrutinized for who she is or dying alone here in one of the dirty corners of this world.

Her pursuer caught up with her and the girl was cornered, a whimper escaping her lips as she pounded on the flat wall in front of her in desperation; pounded on it with her fists like somehow it would disappear and let her escape.

They had a wild look in their eyes, grin malicious and deadly, and at one hand they clutched a blade. The girl turned white in horror as she caught sight of the object, even more so when they started inching towards her. All she was left to do was to shut her eyes, hoping that whatever's coming would be quick and the pain wouldn't be as much.

Whatever it was she was expecting didn't come, but what reached her ears was the sound of grunts and the hard sound of breaking skin. The girl opens her eyes to the sight of another person, dressed in black with their face shadowed by the hood of their jacket, roughing up the one who was after her.

They were always everywhere somehow, and they were the eyes and ears concealed among the shadows. All who lived a life like theirs, those who were below the system for reasons justified or not, knew they existed but who they were remained a mystery. In the days when they don't go out and about scraping for whatever they found useful, it was usually the sound of distressed screams that draws them near.

The girl shields her eyes with shaking hands, not used to the sight of such violence, and she cries while the figure in black throws a punch to the other man's gut. She didn't want to follow their actions, didn't want to watch them, but because of this, she didn't anticipate someone pulling her up. The girl yelps loudly in pain as a hand clutched a fistful of her hair and the feeling of cold metal dangerously pressed up against her throat. She dares not to move and so did the other, the one in black, in front of her.

The man who held the knife on her inches backwards and she staggers along with them, taunting the hooded one who held out his palms in front of him. It felt like everything slowed down, time running by a fraction of its original speed, and the girl thought that this may be because she was so close to her death.

Her sense of time returns to normal the moment both her and her pursuer stumbles forward when someone else kicks them from behind. The knife flies somewhere far from reach, but not before scraping the side of her neck, and the girl lands on her knees away from the three individuals who went on against each other. She catches a glimpse of another person in black, a matching beanie hat draping over their head, and she would've thought that she was going insane with seeing two of the same person but the other one was significantly shorter in height. Still, that didn't stop them from kicking the lights out of her pursuer. She felt her ears ring, the sound of pain and bones crushing against knuckles dulling in the distance as she caught sight of the blood on her fingers. It was hers.

"Grab her! Let's go!"

And just like that, she was being hauled up with an arm around her back and another hooking the back of her knees, and they ran.

She didn't know when exactly they stopped running and she was set back down on the ground. The girl was snapped back to her senses when she heard voices calling out to her. But even her consciousness was failing her, exhaustion tugging at her nerves and the stinging pain of the cut that adorned the side of her neck.

"Kid? Hey, kid! You alright?"

"Ryuu, she's bleeding,"

"Damn... Okay, let's meet up with the others then. Can you carry her?"

She slips into darkness. But it filled her with a sort of comfort; something she didn't know was possible considering the danger that was tied with the shadows of this world she ventured into. But it was comfort nonetheless, accompanied by a rough but reassuring voice that was the last thing she heard before falling into complete unconsciousness.

"Don't you worry. You're gonna be okay,"

 

* * *

 

 

"Jesus, Kei! What the hell happened to you!?"

"Oh hey, welcome back,"

Akiteru unceremoniously drops his bags to the floor the moment he saw Kei walk out fresh from the bathroom, bruises littered his arms and an especially nasty one below his rib. Despite being devoid of concern, Kei's face didn't look any better with the cut on his lower lip and an ugly black eye.

"You're early again. Are you sure your boss is okay with that?" Kei spoke nonchalantly as he walked back to his room to return the towel he used.

Akiteru doesn't answer, already running to the kitchen to get ice. He was all over his younger brother when Kei returned from his quarters, and he restlessly inspects every bruise. Kei flinches at his touches and shoves the older blond away.

"Okay stop. I swear you're going to give me more bruises," Kei snatches the ice, wrapped in a cotton towel, from Akiteru and proceeds to press it on the back of his neck. Kei tenses for a second, and then releases a sigh as he relaxes.

"Sorry, sorry...". Akiteru mutters. He looks at Kei, worriedly, and takes a second before repeating his question. "So are you gonna tell me what you got yourself into?"

Kei purses his lips, pausing, and then answering after a few seconds. "I almost got mugged on my way home. That's all,"

"In the train..?"

"No. I walked,"

"You walked from Minato until here?" Akiteru leans back on the couch, raising a brow at the other blond from the other end of the couch.

"I took the bus. But the walk didn't end well as you can see," Kei moves the makeshift icepack down below his ribs albeit hesitantly. He hisses at the cold.

"Please don't tell me you tried to fight them,"

"Actually, yes. I did,"

"Kei," Akiteru says sternly and sits up straight, looking down on his younger brother. "You could've been seriously hurt,"

"Honestly I'm just pissed that they broke my headphones. And my glasses," Kei adds the last one as he holds up the broken lenses in one hand.

Akiteru just breathes an exasperated sigh at Kei's lack of concern over his own well-being. He stands up, and heads to the bathroom.

"How you managed to get home without seeing where you're going is beyond me," Akiteru mutters under his breath.

Kei speaks up a little too loudly. "Hey. I'm not _that_ blind,"

He laughs at that and he can practically hear Kei scowl from where he is. His little brother might have his way with riling people up, but he had a temper of his own as well when it came to certain things. It's only been about a year since they started living together, but almost right away, Akiteru had learned these quirks of his.

The older blond reaches under the sink to retrieve a first aid kit, dusty from being seldom used.

When he returns to the living room, he finds Kei squinting at a baseball bat In hand. _His_ baseball bat. The look on Kei’s face was hilarious.

“Did you go into my room _again_?” Akiteru hands his brother the first aid kit.

“I didn’t even know I was in your room since you know—“ The younger blond gestures at his own face nonchalantly. “—Blind and stuff. That was the first thing I grabbed in there that wasn’t the light switch,”

“What are you even looking at?” Akiteru laughs a bit and grabs the bat from him.

“Man, I can’t believe you still have that. Wasn’t I the one who gave that to you like ages ago?”

“Come on, I’m not going to throw away a perfectly good bat. I haven’t even used it much,” Akiteru stands up with the wooden object clasped in his hands and walks to Kei’s desk where he props the thing on. He looks back at his brother, and was reminded at how worrisome he looked at the moment.

"So I assume that you're not going to school tomorrow," The older blond starts.

"I'm fine," Kei says immediately. "I can function without glasses,"

"Yeah yeah, sure. I know you can," Akiteru dismisses with a hand gesture. "But I'm talking about you looking like crap, Kei. You should just stay here and rest,"

"Uh, no. Not an option. I have important things to do tomorrow and I have to stop by the shop to see if maintenance is over,"

"Kei please," The older blond sighs, visibly unimpressed. "I'm not arguing with you about this. You're staying home,"

Akiteru would've laughed at the way Kei pouted like the child he is, if only he wasn't serious. Kei just leans forward without another counter against his brother, opening the box to take out a couple of bandages.

"Can you at least help me with this then?" Kei says as he scratches his chin, and flinches at the cut in that area. Akiteru smiles, and sits next to him.

"You need to learn how to take care of yourself more,"

 

* * *

 

"I'm trying, okay!?" The redhead yells from a few feet away. Meanwhile, his partner looked all different kinds of unimpressed. The shorter boy clicks his tongue as he picks himself up from where he fell backwards. "Just... Just one more!"

Without saying another word, the raven-haired boy charges at him with a fist raised and with the speed it was going, the redhead was left unable to do anything but defend. He quickly raises his own arms to block his partner's blows, but it proved to be ineffective against their steady punches.

They've been at it for hours now, starting from early dawn. And while the raven-headed boy didn't exactly mind sparring with him, he was beginning to grow weary with his lack of progress. If anything, he had decided to hold back in his attacks, albeit a little, but the redhead wasn't getting better at it at all.

It was absolutely essential for them to fight, for it was the only way to defend themselves and those they were ordered to protect. Beneath the rather ordinary and bleary setting of the city streets, it was anything but safe. Rats fought against rats, stealing from what's left of each other's crippling lives. It was only right to protect those that were rightfully theirs; those that they worked hard to rebuild and restore with their calloused hands.

To fight was also their form of payment for the people who took enough pity on them; who decided that they deserve to live another day.

For the young boy with the red-orange locks that sprang all around his head, fighting and putting himself out in the streets as a warrior was to ensure the safety of his only family left. He'd do anything for her, even if it meant having to dirty his hands with crime on a daily basis.

He's ready to do anything. But he can't do exactly that from where he is at the moment. Not yet.

The redhead falls flat on his backside once again with a loud grunt and that was his partner's cue to drop his own stance. He walks to the shorter boy and offers him an outstretched hand.

"Let's call it a day," He pants, exhaustion tugging at him as well. He wipes his brow of his sweat and the other warily takes his offer with a scowl. "Maybe we can ask Ryuu to train us tomorrow. I'm sure he won't mind. You should take a break for now,"

He clicks his tongue as he stands up, and he stomps away from their training grounds.

 

* * *

 

Staying at home was absolutely and cripplingly boring.

Kenma was kind enough to take time off from his rather busy schedule to drop a visit by the Tsukishima residence. When Kei opened the door for him, the taller boy showed even more surprised by the imminent display of shock on Kenma's face when he spotted the bruises. The one who voiced their concern however, was their companion.

"Whoa Tsukishima! What happened to your face?" says one Kuroo Tetsurou.

"Hello to you too," Kei deadpans as he steps aside to let the two in. "I'm pretty sure I only invited Kozume over,"

"Come on, you can't honestly invite someone to your house without telling _me_ right?" Tetsurou walks past the two of them and makes himself at home on Kei's couch. Kei swats the older boy's feet off the coffee table where Kuroo had set them up, and the blond turns to Kenma.

"Did you _have_ to tell him?"

"He was listening in when you called earlier," Kenma mutters and he sits on the couch as well, much more politely than the way Tetsurou did. The cat-eyed boy reaches inside his messenger bag and pulls out a couple of notebooks. "Here are the notes you asked for. We have a test according to Murakawa-sensei. Next week I think,"

"I'll be able to go to class by then, I guess. Talk to Bokuto-san about our biology lessons for me, will you?"

"You guys have classes together? Kenma, I thought you were programming?" Tetsurou cuts in.

Kenma leans back on the couch. "I had to retake Japanese Lit this semester. Didn't I tell you?" The spike-haired boy just shrugged. Kenma fishes his phone out of his pocket and fiddles with it for a while. He gestures to Kei. "By the way, you owe me extra,"

"Whatever," Kei sighs plops down the couch himself, beside Kenma. And the room falls into silence.

It was Tetsurou's first time in Kei's apartment, so he spends his idle seconds just eyeing every part of the neat living space. Everything looked ordinary and in place, other than the bat that decorated the space beside a desk and an unruly clump of what seemed to be photo albums under their television set.

The blond wasn't too keen on letting people know where he lived. Why he wasn't, Tetsurou didn't know. He was pretty sure that he and Kenma were the first to ever visit the Tsukishima residence in Kei's two years in Tokyo. Tetsurou thinks that it's pretty sad for the younger yet taller blond sitting agitated in his seat.

He breaks the silence. "So, you live alone?"

"No," Kei answers.

"Roommate? Where are they?"

"My brother's at work," Tetsurou lets out an acknowledging sound at that.

Eyes not straying away from the device on hand, Kenma cuts in. "So what happened to you? You look like you're fresh out of a boxing match,"

"Well that's basically what happened," Kei massages the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming. Kenma stops whatever he's doing to look at him.

"You really did fight someone?"

"No, not like that. I just ran into some trouble is all,"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Tetsurou clicks his tongue from a short distance away. He moved up from the couch to somewhere Kei didn't know. "I didn't know you liked picking fights, Tsukishima," Kei can hear the rustling of pages.

"I don't," The blond snaps. "What are you doing?"

"Looking through your baby pictures," Kei hears another page turning and the sound of Tetsurou giggling to himself. "Aww look at this, Kenma! Little Kei is smiling. It's freaking adorable, look," He holds up the photo album for Kenma to see.

Kei blindly stomps towards Tetsurou's direction to snatch the album from him but the other stands up to scurry away.

"Can you put that back where you found it please,"

"No way, man. Kenma, hey— Kenma look—" Tetsurou speaks in between laughs and Kenma just spares an unimpressed glance towards the pictures. Tetsurou takes another look at the current photo, looks at Kei's fuming face from a few feet away and then he turns to another page with a breathy laugh. He stops at a picture of Kei and another kid beside him, both of them huddled together and smiles reaching the top of their ears.

"Oh hey, who's this? What a cute kid," Tetsurou beams as he faces the inside of the album for Kei to see.

Even without glasses, Kei could easily recognize the child Tetsurou pointed at on the picture— the one with the unruly brown hair and the details of their freckles fading away with the image's age. Tetsurou could've sworn that at that moment, Kei was furious. He couldn't really pinpoint it exactly, because tall blond was already snatching the album and turning away.

"I _said—_ " the blond growls. "—put it back where you found it,"

Tetsurou stares at him as Kei closes the book and tosses it back on the pile of memories by the television. Even Kenma stopped to look at Kei's display of frustration.

When the blond feels himself calm down, he sighs as he rubs his own face. "Don't you two have classes?"

The black-haired boy blinks and fidgets a little under the intimidating gaze sent his way. Tetsurou knew that Kei was infamous for this kind of look the blond seemed to have on default, but never did he realize how unnerving it actually is to be on the receiving end of it. He stutters out his words after a few seconds.

"No but— Uh— I'm gonna do a little bit of shopping before I go home. Kenma? You wanna go with me?"

"Yeah okay," Came Kenma's monotonous reply after a second. He stuffs his phone back in his pocket.

“So—“ Tetsurou starts, voice as conversational as possible. He gives a small smile. “We’ll be off then?”

They leave the apartment in silence, with no other peep from Tetsurou and Kenma or Kei.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaahhh;;; I wasn't sure how this chapter turned out ;~; hahaaa
> 
> again, sorry if the pacing is a bit slow~ but the two will be able to meet soon ofc. I promise interesting things happening at the next chapter though yep :^)))


	4. Encounter

Akiteru walks briskly through the cold night air. He blows a hot breath in his closed fists, shivering at the rather freezing breeze imminent despite the fact that there were a lot of people out in the street to block the wind.

He called Kei earlier that day to confirm if the details in his prescription were accurate and in check in which Kei said yes. Akiteru kept the piece of paper in his pocket, given to them by Kei's ophthalmologist about a few months ago after a check-up. Really, that boy's eyesight seems to just get worse. But Kei’s degrading eyesight was one just one of the slips in Akiteru’s little box of worries. And it’s not even the worse one.

It wasn't his grades or his status at work that worries Akiteru at the moment. It wasn’t the fact that Akiteru seemed to have accidentally ticked him off the night before that worries him either. Okay, it was slightly that. He admits that asking about his brother’s long lost best friend probably wasn’t the best conversation starter. If anything, he should’ve known better that to mention it.

But Kei seemed to be in his normal self just yesterday night. Then again, that kid was too good at hiding his own woes. Either way, Akiteru’s prepared to have Kei give him the cold shoulder when he gets home. Even though it’s a bit disheartening in his part.

Akiteru could just be worrying too much about nothing at all like he always does. It’s not like he can’t help it, being the older one and all.

All his pointless thinking made the blond bump into a one of the people passing by from the opposite direction. Akiteru apologizes and lets out a sigh as he continues walking.

He briefly notices how the lady’s look on him lingered however, and it sent more chills down his system. Their gaze was cold as ice, but soon passed as quickly as they seemed to have walked away from him. Weird.

Honestly, he wouldn't be out here looking for an optimal clinic if Kei had a spare pair of glasses on hand. But he didn't. Seriously, Kei's probably the only kid he knew who would keep an extra pair of earphones inside his dresser, but not a pair of glasses which he actually needs. It’s a bit irresponsible on Kei’s part and Akiteru will have to have a talk with him about that. It was a good thing that his work schedule's gotten a bit freer in the evening. If only he wasn't too late in finding a store.

What time _was_ it anyway? Akiteru feels for his phone in his pocket to check the time.

But nothing was in there.

He stops from walking and frantically searches inside his pants pockets, coat pockets, _anywhere_. But even his wallet seemed to have vanished. He breathes out a curse. But everything clicked in an instant and with wide eyes, he trailed his gaze back to where he was precisely just a few feet away in this crowd.

Where he had bumped to a rather suspicious looking individual.

Normally, one would easily lose sight of a thief in a crowd like this. Now that Akiteru thought of it, it was brilliant ploy. Nobody would notice right away when someone had pickpocketed them, not in a densely populated area and not at a time like this anyway.

But he does spot them. The way they were walking in an irrational pace in comparison to most who just walked in a leisure-like speed was an obvious clue to Akiteru in pinpointing who the culprit was. He follows the lady in the black coat, careful not to lose sight of her.

As the crowd begins to disperse at this part of the street, the woman’s pace begins to pick up speed until she was practically running already. Akiteru had no choice but to run after her as well.

“Hey—! Get back here!” The blond’s voice echoed throughout the small street. It just seemed to have alerted the thief further, and she dashes away.

It was a good thing that Akiteru was an athlete once, and he never did stop working out even after he’s long retired from playing sports, not to brag or anything. He goes on a full sprint to catch up with her, ignoring the cold breeze that contrastingly burned his lungs. It was a grave mistake of hers to turn her head back to see if he was still in pursuit because the moment her running slowed down by a fraction, the blond had caught up with her.

He roughly pulls her back by the shoulder and she staggers backwards. She yelps when she feels Akiteru secure her firmly by the wrist.

“I’m sorry, I—I mean—! Give me back my wallet!” The man stutters at first but sternly gets his voice back.

She tugs her hand back but to no avail of freeing herself. She pants, “Geez! What are you, some sort of fucking racehorse or something?”

“Rude!” Akiteru exclaims. “Hand it over!”

“Fuck no! Let go! Creep!”

“You’re one to talk. Just give it already! My brother’s prescriptions are in there--!”

The other breaks free from his grasps and for a second, Akiteru thought that she was going to run away but she didn’t. The lady just gives him a look, eyes unimpressed but otherwise soft.

“Prescription?”

Akiteru looks at her warily, on guard and ready to go after her if she dares run away again. He speaks. “Yeah. It’s in my wallet,”

“He sick or something?”

“…Yeah. Yeah, something like that,”

She looks away with narrowed eyes. After a few seconds, she clicks her tongue in annoyance. About what it was, Akiteru didn’t get to ponder anymore because the woman reaches inside her jacket for Akiteru’s wallet. She tosses the thing towards him, albeit hesitantly, and Akiteru catches it with both hands.

When he looked up, the woman had a rather concerned look on her face. And for the second time that evening, something clicked in Akiteru’s perceptive mind.

Tokyo was home to many people of many walks of life. It was a big city after all. Some lived in luxury, some had only enough for them to get by. Akiteru and Kei’s way of living fit somewhere in the middle of that, and so did a lot of people if not most. At that very moment however, Akiteru realized that people like the woman who stood scornfully in front of him—this woman, now that Akiteru had time to process it, who was dressed in raggy clothing that didn’t seem to prove effective against the cold rainy nights—they existed.

These are people who have nothing and were spared nothing, up to the point where they have no choice but to steal from others.

The lady flinches back on guard as she sees Akiteru walk towards her. She eyes him from head to toe when he speaks.

“Would you… Um… Like to come with me to that convenience store over there..?”

Needless to say, she was surprised. But it was even more surprising when she followed him, albeit reluctantly.

After the short walk to the nearest store, Akiteru went inside to make the purchase while his companion waited outside after reassuring him that no, she won’t run this time. She said she was too tired to do so anyway. Akiteru leaves his coat with her to keep her warm.

Throughout the years, Akiteru had been commended for his kindness. Although to others, they say that it could be his possible downfall, and even Kei agreed to this. But it didn’t matter to Akiteru if he seemed too nice to other people’s eyes. He firmly believes that there’s no harm done in giving a helping hand to those who need it, even if it is as small as buying something to eat for a complete stranger. And yes, even strangers who try to run off with his wallet count.

“Meatbuns, really?” The lady looks up at him with a condescending brow. It reminded him of Kei.

He retorts back with a smirk. “Are you really in a position to complain, ma’am?”

She huffs a laugh and shrugs. Akiteru sits down on the sidewalk beside her, with only the warmth coming from the bag of steamed meatbuns keeping them company in the chill of the night. He opens the bag and offers its contents to the lady after reaching in for his share.

“So you mentioned your brother being sick?” She starts as she reaches in for a meatbun. Akiteru sets the bag on the space between them and he absentmindedly scratches on the back of his neck before replying.

“Ah yeah… Kinda? Well they’re prescription for glasses. He can’t really see without them so…”

“I see,” She nods.

Now that they were seated, Akiteru found the time to properly examine her appearance. Despite her tattered up black hoodie, her face didn’t look all too dirty. Her bob-cut hair was a lighter shade of lemon, but under the dim streetlights they appeared more gray than yellow. She also didn’t look as old; she looked younger than Akiteru even. She also looked rather well-built, which explains how she was able to outrun Akiteru in the first place.

It was silent for a few minutes, neither party knowing how to start another conversation with the other. Akiteru didn’t have to voice out if it was okay for them not to talk as the lady looked comfortable herself. But he quickly formulated a question when he turns to her and sees her frowning down on her food.

“Is… Everything okay?”

The woman looks up at him and shakes her head.

“Yeah, it’s just…” She sighs before continuing. “It feels kinda weird is all… Eating here while my brothers are out looking for food themselves,”

“Oh,” Akiteru gulps on his bun. His own brows furrowed at how crestfallen she seemed to appear. The blond grabs the bag and pushes it to her direction. Akiteru speaks when the woman gives him a questioning look.

“Here. It’s not much but maybe you can give this to your brothers or something,”

“Huh,” She frowns. “I don’t usually meet people who buy me food for my family. What’s the catch here?”

“There’s no catch,” Akiteru sounded hurt from the way the woman looked at him scornfully. “I just thought that you needed it. I mean, why else would you try to steal my wallet?”

“I don’t need your pity,”

“I’m not giving you pity. I’m just trying to help,”

She stops when the blond’s voice raised, in which Akiteru mutters a sorry afterwards. But she dismisses it as she takes the bag full of food.

“I should be sorry. I’m just not used to it I guess. People like me— we’re usually looked down on. Being given something is a first for me is all,” She turns her head to him, and gives a smile. “Thank you,”

“Ah… No problem,” The blond smiles back.

“So is this how you pick up women? If I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t think that you’re hitting on me,” She scoffs heartily and her laugh grows louder at the way Akiteru’s face reddened. “I’m not interested by the way,”

“What—No! It’s not like that—!” He stutters.

“Okay, okay. No need to get all prissy on me, sir,” The lady stands up, still giggling, and dusts herself off. She realizes that she’s still wearing the blond’s coat, and she slips her arms off from the piece of clothing.

“I have a name. I’m Tsukishima,” He stands from his spot. “Tsukishima Akiteru. You can keep the jacket too,”

“Tsukishima…?” The lady looks at him questioningly for a second. And then shrugs. “I see. Well I have to get going. Thank you for the food. And the jacket as well. Oh and I forgot to give this back. It’s not like I can use it anyway,” She reaches inside one of her pockets and tosses a phone back to Akiteru.

Akiteru calls back for her when she starts to walk away. “Hey wait! I didn’t get your name,”

She stops. And then turns, all smooth-like.

 “…Tanaka.” She says with a smile. She turns away again after a wink and resumes walking. “Not that it matters. As common of a name as it is, I doubt you can find me again,”

And with that, the woman who calls herself Tanaka seemed to have vanished in the dark of the streets, leaving a rather confused but intrigued Akiteru.

 

* * *

 

It was usually around nighttime when one becomes aware of their own breathing; when one's mind becomes clouded by thoughts they gave no priority during the day. They find themselves staring at the empty ceiling, tracing patterns with their eyes as they tried to answer the voice who asked these questions from the back of their mind. Kei was no different. That's why he tries to sleep as early as he can every night.

His current condition, the physical pain from yesterday's fiasco, left him distracted from what occupied his mind for a couple of days. The voice that plagued him now, that hasn't plagued him in what seemed like four years already— it wasn't his. It didn't sound like him. Yet, it asked the questions Kei has been keeping from himself ever since he had voiced them out loud a long time ago, with only a letter from a certain _‘friend’_ of his as a form of answer.

The voice had decided to come back and haunt him once again as the pain from his bruises subsides. So Kei fits his earphones in his ears, and he let the hard rhythm of drums and the aggressive shreds of guitars dull his senses as he sank in his bed. He wanted to block it out, just like what he's been doing all these years. 

He hopes to sleep it off, forget everything by morning, return to his routine, and get back to living his life in peace.

Kei closes his eyes when a soft melody replaces the one before, but sleep doesn't come his way. Irritated, Kei yanks the earphones from his ears and massages the bridge of his nose.

Perhaps it wasn't such a good idea to stay home where there's nothing to do and no one to talk to. Because of that, Kei's left with the undistracted thoughts of his past that he really should put behind him already. But as much as Kei wanted to let go of these memories— memories of that boy who put a little color in his young life— and forget it all completely, he always catches himself still hanging on to them like it was his lifeline.

Like right now, in which the quiet darkness of his room and the entire apartment helped him relive the moments he secretly held dear. Kei clutches the fabric of his shirt as he closes his eyes tight, and his chest felt like it was sinking under the mattress.

He sees the blurring memory of their bright smile behind close eyelids, hears the harsh but encouraging words that had anchored Kei to this day, and feels the remains of what their warmth felt like when he held their hand that day. Kei wanted to erase them from his mind, but at the same time he didn't want to completely forget the sound of that person's voice. They exist only in Kei's memory now, and to forget about them would mean killing them.

Kei didn't realize how much he's been hurting. Suddenly, all the years of repressed grief and subconsciously putting it off came crashing down on him. Suddenly, he was mad at Akiteru at that exact moment for reminding him— no, made him aware— of something he desperately wanted to forget but held onto anyway. Kei was suffocating under the pressure he put onto himself.

And he really was. Kei sits up abruptly and the hand that was clutching his chest tightens into a fist as he breathes broken huffs through his mouth, and he tries to cough out whatever it was that's blocking his airway. His eyes stung, and Kei blinks countless times to alleviate the pain. Kei didn't realize that he's been murmuring to himself as his rough breathing came to slow down. Whatever it was that he was saying, however, completely slipped his mind.

Kei sighs. When he felt himself calm down, he lays back on the bed again.

Exhaustion finally tugs at him and he happily obliges, letting himself fall into the quiet lullaby of the night. Perhaps in the morning, he'd be okay again.

A faint sound makes its way to Kei's ears. He ignores it and turns to his side.

A thud came next, soft and faint and Kei almost misses it but it was there. Awake but unmoving on his spot on the bed, the blond tries to zero in on the sound with his ears.

There it was again, and it sounded a lot like a pitter patter of feet. He wasn't sure what _exactly_ it sounded like, but it was consistent enough for Kei to realize that there's something, or someone, moving in the living room. Kei raises himself up from the bed to reach for his phone. He checks the time and it reads '7:34pm'. It was a little too early for Akiteru to be home, earlier than the time he's been coming home lately even. And if it was him, he would've alerted Kei that he has arrived, and maybe turn on the lights in the living room. But there was no greeting or lights that came.

The knob on his bedroom door rattled and Kei stilled on his spot with a hitched breath.

His heart pounded with uncertainty, and his ears didn't stop ringing even when the movement behind his door had faded. If anything, it made him more alert. If Kei thought he was alone just a few minutes ago, he clearly wasn't alone now.

Kei stands up from his bed and walks towards the door, leaning his head against the wood. He can hear the faint sound of someone rustling through their kitchen, stopping, and then muffled footsteps making their way towards another part of their apartment. Kei hears a door opening, which he assumes is the bathroom judging from the distance where the sound came from and the fact that Akiteru's room beside him was locked as well.

Whatever it was that Kei had in mind, it wasn't a very good plan, but he hasn't exactly been making the right decisions lately.

Cautiously, Kei opens his door, careful not to make any noise. He vaguely remembers the bat that Akiteru had left on his desk the day before, and he blindly feels for the object with his left hand. Luckily, it was still left there untouched and after firmly grasping the base of the bat, he quietly made his way to the bathroom. Kei was practically blind right now, but he made use of the dim light coming from the window to guide his blurry vision.

His worst fear has been realized as he finally took sight of the crouched figure on the bathroom floor. Their back was facing Kei, and despite there being no light in this part of the apartment, Kei could see them moving and messing around with the first aid kit under the sink.

Kei's no idiot. He knows a burglar when he sees one, and he doesn't even have his glasses with him so that's saying something. Without hesitation, Kei slowly swings the bat in hand upwards, ready to strike.

He was sure he hit something, but the hard sound of wood against metal says that Kei didn't hit the right target. It was too dark to see clearly, so Kei didn't anticipate the hooded burglar shoving him backwards with the first aid kit.

Kei lands on his backside with a loud grunt, but he was quick to stand up. He curses under his breath when he realizes that his weapon had rolled away, and immediately he feels the floor in hopes of finding it. Kei grabs the bat upon locating it, and the first thing he does as he stands up is swing the object counterclockwise. But he hits the couch instead, and the bat once again springs out of his grasp. The wood clanked as it hit the floor again. Kei hears the other person, that son of a gun, let out a curse at his retaliation. He turns his head to the direction of where their voice came from.

Despite being unable to clearly see anything, he could make out the faint silhouette of the intruder, outlined by the dim streetlights that filtered through the window behind him. Kei takes a step forward and the other flinches backwards, holding their palms in front of the blond as if to pacify him and keep him from coming closer. But Kei just takes another step, squinting at the light that hits his face but to also try and make out what this idiot's face looked like.

They were clearly staring at him. For what reason, Kei didn't know. But the hooded individual in front of him lowers their arms slightly.

"Oh my god..." The intruder exclaims softly after about two seconds of just staring at each other, their voice muffled by the cloth that hid the lower half of their face. Kei can only make out the way the person's slanted eyes widened and really nothing else that hinted him of their identity.

"...Tsuki...shima..?"

The mention of his name catches Kei off guard and the moment his guard lowered by the slightest, the intruder was already taking quick strides towards the window. They opened the latch and before Kei could even react, the intruder had jumped out.

Surprised by the sudden exit, Kei follows them only to stop by the edge of the window. He peers his head out and the hooded person was already halfway down the emergency ladder just a few inches below their window.

"Hey! Get back here, you—!" Kei calls out noisily but the intruder had already sprinted away down the alley.

Unsure of how to properly process that one, the blond slams the window shut, sighing as he leans against the wall and slides down the floor. It was absolutely unprecedented for things like this to keep happening to him.

He didn’t need this. He didn’t need unwanted thoughts. He didn’t need to feel pain, physically and emotionally. He didn’t need some burglar coming in and disrupting the only time of peace he seemed to have. And he didn’t need weird shit happening to him in just a span of two days. It was exhausting and certainly something he doesn’t want to get used to.

Akiteru finds Kei passed out from exhaustion when he gets home an hour later, a bat placed by his side and a dented first aid kit at his other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whhoooaoaoaoao would ya look at that!! owo the queen tanaka saeko made her appearance this chapter! That means, more of them will be showing up. Slowly, but surely, I'll introduce the karasuno ppl soon~
> 
> Don't worry, Saeko will definitely be showing up more. I actually have a rather big role for her!
> 
> Thank you all for the kudos and the bookmarks ;~; I haven't been feeling well lately and I'm writing bits and pieces of this aaaa but your comments and the messages some of you sent to my tumblr really kept me motivated! ;~; They're all greatly appreciated thank you ;~;


	5. Reunion

"Hello? Earth to Tsukishima?" A hand waving in front of his face had Kei sitting right up and the blond finally stutters a response after a few seconds of being idle on the counter. Keiji speaks again. "Your shift ended like twenty minutes ago. Michimiya's here to take over,"

"Oh. Um. Right," Kei says dazedly as he slides off his stool. "Where is she?"

"She's at the back with the boss," the other props himself on the counter, curiously watching his coworker. It has only been four hours but it was clear that something was bothering the young blond. Keiji speaks again. "You know if Shimizu-san catches you being distracted like that during work hours, she's gonna get mad,"

"I'm not distracted," Kei says in monotone. "I just have a lot of things on my mind right now,"

"Which means you're distracted,"

"No,"

"Okay, okay," Keiji just shrugs and takes the blond's place on the stool. A soft bell resonated from the front entrance. Keiji muses from the counter. "Good day,"

Their tiny establishment was nothing more than a family-run business, a bookstore selling second hand books ranging from used college textbooks to pre-loved and worn down novels. Aside that, they also double as a stationary store. The pay wasn't much, but it was enough for Kei to support his own allowance so he wouldn't have to seek help from Akiteru.

Kei makes his way around the cramp spaces between the shelves towards the door that lead to the employee lounge. Or what passes for a lounge anyway. It was just a small room with a couch and a vending machine. There were also a couple of lockers pushed up against the wall where the employees can put their things. Kei isn't entirely too concerned about leaving his belongings there, since he only works with three other people.

He walks past the two girls in the room, and strides towards the lockers. Kei wasn't listening, but their conversation didn't go unnoticed.

The raven-haired girl stood with her arms crossed against her chest and in front of her, a woman slouched with a sorry look on her face. Her shyness didn't quite match her rather athletic build. She runs a hand through curly brown locks as the manager speaks.

"Make sure to keep an eye on the place this time, Michimiya. It's always during your shift that some books go missing," the girl's voice was soft but firm with authority.

"I'm sorry—“ Yui tenses up and she stutters.

"I had the maintenance set up the cameras as requested. I'm hoping that monitoring the place would be easier this time?" Kiyoko speaks as she strides out of the place.

As soon as their manager left the room, Kei had pulled out a shirt from his bag. Frowning at the creases, he stuffs the piece of clothing back in his luggage and pulls out a hoodie to wear over his work shirt instead. He can almost hear the sigh that went along with the way Yui heavily hung her head.

"Man, did you hear that? Kiyoko probably thinks that I'm the one messing with the stock... What am I even gonna do with a bunch of books?" The short-haired brunette speaks with an exhausted breath too early for her day. Kei just snorts and Yui keeps on voicing out her frustration. "But I'm not messing with the merch! I swear it's one of the customers!"

"Yeah, of course. It can only be one of the customers," Kei mutters under his breath with an amused smirk as he slips his arms through the sleeves.

She doesn't detect the hint of sarcasm in his voice and Yui pouts as she continues. "I'm serious. There's this suspicious short guy that just circles around the romance novel section all the time and they just leave after going through the displays for like an hour,"

"If you knew who they were, then why didn't you say anything to the boss?" Kei raises a brow at her direction and Yui whips her entire body to face him, a frown adorning her features.

"Because! I don't have proof. I can't just point fingers on the customers!" She says. "But now we have cameras. I'll be able to get proof that I'm innocent!"

Kei just hums as he chucks his bag over his shoulders. He mutters under his breath. "Yeah good luck with that,"

"Tsukishima?" Yui looks at him curiously, similar to how Keiji did, but the blond doesn't notice. Not with the way he suddenly looked distant and mentally detached away from his surroundings. "Are you okay? You look like something's worrying you,"

That seemed to snap Kei out of his own daze and he groans in reply. "You too? Why does everybody think I'm too distracted?"

"Well you kind of are. It’s too obvious," she trails off, eyeing over her younger coworker. "Oh? Don't tell me..." Yui smirks and takes a large step towards Kei. She bumps him lightly with her shoulder. "...You have a girl on your mind?"

"Don't make me laugh, Michimiya-san," The blond utters as he pushes his glasses up his nose.

"A boy then—“

Kei shoots her a poisonous look, and Yui laughs her heart out. She slaps Kei on the back, hard enough for him to tumble on his feet slightly and he has to adjust his glasses back on his face again.

"I'm just teasing," She huffs before bursting into a fit of giggles again at the sight of Kei's face. She waves her hand as she speaks clearly. "Now go. Don't let me keep you,"

Kei spared no second glance or acknowledgement towards the older brunette as he made his way out. Normally this would seem rude, but if there was one thing Yui and the others got used to quickly, it was Kei's lack of sociability. It was something she respected, since their manager Shimizu Kiyoko was more or less the same; a woman of few words but intelligent nonetheless and bears great responsibility. Yui had the same impression of Kei when he applied a few months ago.

Kei puts on his earphones the same time Keiji bid him farewell.

 

* * *

 

“Is this it?”

“The only one I know that’s here in Minato,”

With a rather doubtful look, he peers in past the gates that stood before him. It was a tall establishment, and while it looked full and used, it was well-maintained for its inhabitants. People around his age walked and rushed by each other as they mind their own business, while the two outsiders blended in quite well.

“I wonder…”

This looked like the right place indeed. For all he knows, the one he’s looking for could just be further inside, only he’s got no way of knowing because he’s not allowed in. But he can’t be sure yet. He could wait out here, wait for them pass by these very gates so he would be sure that this was where they were. Or maybe he’s got the place all wrong and they were actually at the other end of the city. It didn’t help his mind growing weary by the second.

It shouldn’t be such a big deal. But he’s been anxious a lot lately. He felt like he was running out of time, even though he technically wasn’t. What was there to worry about? This was his chance. And he’ll be damned if he let this one slip out of his fingers.

 “Noya-san,” He turns to his companion with a strained smile. “Thank you for doing this,”

The other boy pulls his black beanie lower on his head and returns the gesture. “Don’t sweat it, man,”

“You’re probably gonna get in a lot of trouble if they find out what we’re doing,”

“Oh come on,” His companion puts his hands on his hips, grin never wavering. “I’m not leaving you out here alone. And you’re not particularly doing anything wrong, right?”

“Of course not,”

“Well, that settles that,” The streak-haired boy leans back on the wall. After a few minutes of idling on his spot, he pulls out a small paperback from his own messenger bag.

Yuu skims mindlessly through his pocket-sized book, occasionally sparing glances to his companion who watched every single passerby with growing weariness in his eyes. And as the minutes turn into hours, the older male was becoming rather restless himself, with some added soreness on his back for leaning on the same wall for at least two hours. He couldn’t even try to focus on whatever it was he was supposed to read. Yuu stretches his arms with a groan after putting his book away.

“Ease up, will you?” He speaks up with a soft laugh as to not alarm his anxious companion.

“Sorry…” The other stutters a bit. He sighs as he pulls his hood off his head and runs his fingers through dark brownish locks. With a rubber band, he ties back his hair just below his neck and pulls his hood back up.

 “So, this guy…” Yuu starts again. “Is he..?”

But the other doesn’t answer the question that didn’t need to be completed. Instead, he casts his eyes downwards.

And then back up to inspect the people who rush in and out of the gates.

 

* * *

 

"Dude, are you waiting for someone?" The sandwich in Tetsyrou's mouth muffled the question he asked

Tetsurou has been watching Kei for what seemed like thirty minutes already. If anything should bother him, it should be the fact that Kenma and Koutarou's taking their sweet time inside the computer sciences building. They had been waiting for them for what seemed like half an hour already, and in between that, Tetsurou even had the spare time to get a sandwich. It wasn't like the spike-haired senior was bored or anything, not with the way Kei's been all fidgety. And while it was amusing to watch the blond seem to fret over something, it was beginning to become unnerving after the first ten minutes.

"Uh yeah," Kei raises a brow as he turns his head towards Tetsurou only for a second. "We're waiting for Bokuto-san and Kozume,"

"No, not them," Tetsurou swallows his food before speaking. Kei ignores him, turning away again and Tetsurou almost misses the way the blond's shoulder tense up in a shudder. Tetsurou speaks. "You're doing it again,"

"Doing what?"

"That—“ The spike-haired senior makes a gesture with one of his hand. "And your face is all—“ he gestures to his own face, and makes a rather comical expression that's supposed to imitate the grumpy one on Kei's. The blond just raises an offended brow at him and Tetsurou sighs.

"You know, if you have somewhere to be and you can't wait for Bokuto and Kenma right now, it's fine. I can just tell 'em—“

Kei cuts him off. "It's not that. Just don't mind me,"

Tetsurou just shrugs as he takes another bite on his sandwich. Despite the blond's dismissal, he still looked visibly irritated. Kei wasn't one to show much emotion, or as Kenma once deduced and shared with him, Kei often kept them in check to the point that it was nearly impossible to read him. Based on Tetsurou's own observations, it was usually only because of mundane things that results to Kei showing visible discomfort— like someone getting too close to his space or if someone says something so obviously and hilariously wrong. Tetsurou decides that maybe it really was nothing serious.

"So you're looking pretty fine now," Tetsurou starts, pointing out to the lack of plasters and bandages on Kei's arms. The blond follows quickly.

"Yeah well my ribs still feel broken," he says as he shifts in his seat.

"Maybe you need to go see a doctor or something,"

"They're not actually broken, you know. It's just sore. I don't know,"

Tetsurou looks at him warily, but resumes talking after a bite of his food. "Okay. Well, Kenma and I have a lot of plans after this semester. Like he wants to take me to this nerd convention out of town—“

Kei nods his head, but his attention was once again drifting off to god knows where as Tetsurou rambled on and on. At least listening to someone else go about their life seemed to distract him a bit. As if he wasn’t distracted enough on his own already.

Still, he must’ve developed a habit of looking over his shoulder after just a few short days, because Kei finds himself looking away again, albeit subconsciously, as Tetsurou tells another tall tale about one of Koutarou’s daily misfits.

But like always, there was nothing to look at; as opposed to what it was he had in mind.

 

* * *

 

Yui wasn't too far off when she made her guess yesterday. Technically, Kei really did have someone in mind. But not in the way his coworker deduced at all. He hoped it was like that, but to no avail. He wasn't entirely too sure himself. It was _someone_ but at the same time, it was _no one._

To put it simply— Kei had been itching with the feeling of _someone_ watching him.

It was a creeping feeling that crawled up his arms; a chill that threatened his back even though he was practically wearing a coat over a hoodie over a sweatshirt. It was probably nothing— probably nothing at all— but his pace quickened anyway and despite the cold, sweat broke down his forehead and the side of his neck.

It was at least four more blocks till the nearest train station, and the sky was darkening quite quickly.

Kei didn't know when it started, his sudden anxiousness towards the dark and the miniscule fear of probably nonexistent eyes watching him from somewhere.

A couple of people pass by, clad in thick clothing similar to his. They were laughing with each other, immersed in their own conversation as they walked, and Kei sighs in relief that the streets weren't as empty. He fits an ear bud in his ear. Maybe he could drown his weary mind in music, like always, and autopilot his way home.

Kei's pace slows down a bit. He idly takes his time eyeing the shop windows he passes by. The train station was only a block away and despite his earlier anxiety, he finally felt no need to rush himself home.

There must've been a point in his walk when there weren't people around; when he was too distracted by the loud music confined within his own little world; when he walks by a small and unnoticed alleyway.

It was a split second of being completely unaware, but it was enough for a hand to grab him by the back of his coat, and he came tumbling back a few steps.

"Wh—!”

Whoever it was, they maneuvered him singlehandedly so that he wouldn't fall flat on the pavement and instead turned him around with his back against the wall. Kei had his eyes shut, and his head pounded when he hit the smooth concrete. He was stuck there, stunned where he stood while the one who dragged him into the alley breathed down on him. They were silent, and they were too far inside Kei's personal space.

Kei hears the other sigh, but it didn't sound tired or exasperated. More like wonder if he had to describe it, but Kei saw nothing past their face with how it was hidden by their hood. All he saw were eyes— slanted, lidded, but otherwise bright— looking directly at his. They were, most importantly of all... _Familiar._

The person slowly steps back.

"It's... It _is_ you..." Their eyes, the only feature that could convey emotion at the moment, softened with what seemed like affection and their voice wavered. Kei was only confused at this point. Especially when they spoke again in a breath.

"Tsukishima... It's you..."

Kei didn't move, even when his brain was screaming at him to bolt the hell out of there the moment the stranger had loosen his grip around him. He watched them with wide eyes as they lowered their hood to reveal dirty brownish hair, stared with growing surprise as they pulled the cloth covering their face to reveal freckles blending in with dirt-stained cheeks.

Tsukishima Kei found himself gulping down the lump that quickly formed in his throat. And weakly, he let out a breath of his own. But no voice came out of him.

He desperately wanted to call out to him as well. Instead, his rationality kept him grounded and shut.

_Yamaguchi..?_

Kei felt dizzy, disoriented, and for a second he thought he could pass out at any moment. Or maybe he had already fainted and now he was dreaming. But it felt too real; his senses were working despite the numbness washing through him.

The brunet in front of him gives him a smile.

Maybe the whole universe was in on a big pathetic joke on him. Maybe he was being punished. He weighed every single wrong thing he's done in his life, and thought long and hard about what the hell was it that he did to deserve something as cruel as this. Or for how long the moment allowed him to dwell on it anyway. Kei suddenly felt all of his breath escape him, his chest imploding, and he felt downright absolutely _sick_ to his stomach.

Kei's chest ached even more when the ghost, the doppelganger, the exact copy of his best friend, or his twin maybe—he doesn't fucking know—reaches out with spread arms.

Tadashi breathes out shakily, arms squeezing around Kei's waist.

"It's you… I can't believe it's you... It's you, it's you..." He trailed over and over again, burying his face on Kei's chest.

He felt like a fish out of water, and even though his glasses were in working order, his vision blurred and his eyes stung. Nothing else flooded his mind except for the fact that this was cruel, _too cruel_. He didn't deserve this.

It was a haze of panic and wave after wave of unsure emotions that suffocated the blond and with the need for air, he roughly shoves the boy back with both hands.

And he ran.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that marks the end of the prologue haha it felt like their meeting dragged on a little too long. Sorry;;;
> 
> A little writers' note: I don't usually add honorifics in my fics, but it felt weird to not have the younger ones refer to their elders with respect so I threw them in there. I'll keep them to a bare minimum if reading them feels kinda cringey ;u;


	6. Sky

If one would look up at the sky, they would be reminded of dirty mud puddles made during rainy days with how murky the clouds made it seem. But today, the mellow heavens watched over them from above with a soothing, soft, warm gaze. With the weather as it was for the past few days, having the sky as clear as glass was a blessing.

It was amazing what a slight change in the weather can do to people, how it would affect your mood, your motivation. It could even change the very course of your morning routine, and to extremes, it could alter your health. Luckily, he wasn't one to get easily swept by the weather. Both of them aren't.

Tetsurou slams his fist on the table and exclaims loudly, while the two-toned haired boy laid back in his seat with a shrug. A small smirk rested on his usually expressionless face, his eyes bright with pride.

The senior looks at him, flabbergasted. "Okay, are you sure you haven't played this game before?"

"It's not that hard to get, really," Kenma says as plain as possible.

"Bullshit," Tetsurou laughs. "This is the hardest map I have, and you beat my high score?"

"Let's try my maps then," the other then taps away at their laptop, inputting his login in their obscure rhythm game. And Tetsurou immediately tries to shove Kenma away from his laptop.

"No way! You probably have harder maps!"

Tetsurou’s hand flies to his mouth, realizing how loud he must’ve shouted. The lobby was pretty much empty at that time of the day save for a few people who stayed to study for their tests and those who smuggled a few minutes of sleep. A student from across the lobby shoots Tetsurou a look, there in their little corner in the lobby, and he flashes an apologetic smile with a peace sign towards them. He sighs afterwards.

"Don't be a baby, Kuroo," A hint of amusement laced Kenma’s soft voice.

"Dude, what are you even doing here?" Tetsurou props his chin with an arm on their table. "I thought your exams ended yesterday? And I know for a fact that you don't have regular classes anymore,"

Kenma just shrugs. The device in front of him emits a loud 'ding', followed by an upbeat tune. The short boy scrambled to lower the volume of his game and Tetsurou laughs as he tosses him one of the earphones sprawled atop their table. He watches his friend start a round of the game, music so loud he can practically hear it bleeding through the earphones. Bright colored rings make their way in the screen, moving at a dizzying speed that seemed to be in sync with the tempo of whatever song was playing.

"Man," Tetsurou exclaims as he leans back on his seat, finding a comfortable enough position to rest his aching neck too. He tries to follow the rings the same way Kenma does, but it only made his eyes hurt and his head ache. He groans. "This week just seems to drag on forever, huh?"

"Are your exams over yet?" Kenma asks, his eyes not straying away from his game. Tetsurou just groans.

"I have one more, later at four," He says.

"Shouldn't you be studying then?"

"I've long given up on studying. I'll just wing it,"

"Good luck on that," Kenma says with an amused grin. He presses on the keyboard as he finishes the round and lets out a sigh of his own.

Tetsurou makes an amazed sound. “Whoa that score is amazing,”

“It’s nothing, really,” He looks away.

A hand makes its way to the boy’s medium length hair, ruffling on the poor thing’s head. “What? You getting shy now? You really are great at these things, yknow? It’s like your talent or something!”

“Shut up…” Kenma fixes the mop on his hair. “So did Tsukishima say anything yet?”

Tetsurou breathes a sigh. “I don’t know, man. Whenever I ask him he just does this—“ He makes a couple of shrugging gestures to imitate his younger colleague. “Maybe I’ll ask him again when he’s not too stressed from exams,”

“Yeah, he does look pretty fried, huh?”

The spike-headed senior lets out a laugh at that, patting the younger blond on the back.

His head still pounded due to the flashing lights of Kenma’s next game. How the other managed to endure that, he may never know. So Tetsurou settled with watching the sky from the window placed beside their table instead.

The walls that housed their campus were painted with a soft cream, and with its clear canvas of a surface it was almost as if it adapts with how the sky was feeling. At cloudless sunny days, it was a blinding yellow. During rainy days, it matched the gray of the sky.

The hues of the heavens that painted their school in pleasant warm colors didn’t fail to make Tetsurou feel at peace. If it was possible for such scenery to dissolve all of his problems, he would’ve been more than glad to give it all away.

He hears the faint sound of the music coming from his laptop, the sound that faded away for a minute while he was in deep thought, accompanied by a sigh from Kenma.

“Do you wanna go get something to eat?” Tetsurou says with a yawn.

“I don’t wanna lose our place here in the lobby,” He replies.

“Oh come on. There’s barely a person in here,”

“Get me one of those chocolate bread from the cafeteria please. Thanks,”

“Wow,” Tetsurou huffs a laugh. “When did you get so demanding?”

Kenma just shrugs at him, his own smile gracing his features.

He still stands up to get that bread, along with his own food. And the two spent the afternoon taking turns playing round after round of their game.

 

* * *

 

Warm gold and pink and cold blue and lavender fought each other for their place in the sky. The gloomy clouds that brought rain and the dying sun sinking for another day won out of all, and just the color itself made everything so bone-chilling. It was a comfortable chill, but still, it just made him crave the warmth of his apartment even more.

His home was just a short walk from the station now. But he stops to spare a look over his shoulder. Finding nothing there besides a few who walked in the same direction as him, he resumes his pace.

The songs in his playlist don’t do his mood justice, so he slows down as he pulls his iPod out to switch to a new one. His new selection doesn’t get to finish as he arrived to his building however. He might’ve walked too fast than he cared to admit.

Kei stops in the middle of walking up the stairs, sneezes, and then after a shiver, continues walking to his apartment.

He groans instead of announcing himself like always as he enters his cozy home, free from the harsh cold weather of the outside world. Except his living room felt just as drafty and chilly. With a frown, the first thing the blond motions to is the window to shut it close.

Kei plops on the couch afterwards, and he pulls his glasses off of his face to rest his eyes.  It was a rather exhilarating day, but at least he was free of this semester already. He was free to rest again.

The blond failed to turn on the lights as he came in, but he didn't bother to get up on his spot on the couch. Instead, he let himself wind down a bit. The bluish gray sky filtered through the living room window, and its hue bathed the space with its melancholic air. One would easily fall dreary in such a setting, but for Kei it was more relaxing than ever.

He felt himself drifting off as he sighs.

It’s not as peaceful as he makes it to be, like every single time he’s left alone with his own thoughts as company.

_You’re just stressed, Kei._

_Do you feel that? Yeah. You don’t feel like yourself do you? You don’t feel well. It’s probably the weather. See? It actually feels like a fever is coming up._

_It’s over now. Finals are over. Your exams are over. Kuroo and Kenma won’t be bothering you for a while. You’re free to rest for a bit. You think too much, Kei._

_You think about him too much._

_You were seeing things. It wasn’t him. You were mistaken._

He lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He feels a bit lighter at his own self-assurance.

A few days have passed, a few excruciatingly painful days of denial and coming up with a good explanation plagued him.  As real as it seemed to be when the source of his nightmares stared him right in his eyes, said nightmare hasn’t actually shown themselves after that. Perhaps, it really wasn’t real. It really did felt more like a dream gone awry than reality itself.

Because why would they show themselves? Why? After four years, why?

It was better this way. It was better passing it off as a trick of the light. A hallucination.

The soft clank of glasses catches his attention and he turns his head to the direction of the kitchen. The stranger stops in their tracks.

It was too early for his brother to be home. And they looked a tad bit shorter than him.

Eyes met with eyes. And after a second of tense silence, the one in the kitchen spoke.

"...Um. Welcome home?"

The familiar voice scared Kei shitless. And with a yelp, the first thing that came flying from across the room was one of the cushions rested on the couch.

Tadashi blocks the object with his arms and he dashes out of the kitchen as Kei scurries off the couch and beside the stack of albums by the television. The blond grabs one of them, and hurls it at the other boy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hey! Knock it off! Tsuki—“ Tadashi gets cut off when another came at him in speed, and he ducks. "Wow— stop— Hey!"

"How did you get in here!?”  Kei shouts, threateningly holding a rather heavy looking album.

"Uh— That— Window—" The freckled boy blabbers out, only barely making himself coherent as he gestures to the window. Kei takes a step closer and that made Tadashi stumble backward.

The silence that followed was too tense for their liking, both Kei’s and Tadashi’s, and it was almost absolutely deafening. The two held their ground as if one move from either of them would initiate a grueling brawl. However, that was the last thing on Tadashi's mind.

Tadashi sighs as he drops his guard and turns away, not noticing the way Kei lifts the album in hand up when he moved. When he looks back up to the blond however, Kei’s scowl was so sour that he could’ve sworn that he can actually taste the seething rage. It sent an uncomfortable chill down the freckled boy’s spine, and he had to fight back the shiver that such a cold gaze brought him.

“I-I’m… I’m sorry—“ Tadashi starts. “—For breaking in!”

The other’s voice rang throughout the room. “You couldn’t have waited outside like a normal person?” 

“And freeze to death? No thanks,” Tadashi sported a frown of his own.

“That doesn’t give you the excuse to break into my house like a weirdo!”

“Okay, point taken. I’m sorry,”

Even when the brunet had made himself as non-threatening as possible, the frown on Kei’s face refuses to subside. In fact, it might’ve grown deeper. There was no way to pacify him.

But his hold on the book lowers. “What are you even doing here?”

“I…” Tadashi leans on the wall behind him. He sighs, and then looks up at the blond with soft eyes. “I came to see you of course,”

The sound of his voice bought a stake to his chest, the sincerity in his eyes felt so utterly and just downright _wrong_. And his words— His words made his blood boil for whatever reason.

_How dare you..? Just how dare you?_

He spits out through gritted teeth. “Get out,”

Tadashi blinks at him, confusion obvious on his face. It made Kei all the more furious.

“I said—“ He repeats himself, words hard and harsh as they rolled off his tongue. “—Get. The hell. Out,”

The album previously grasped in Kei’s hands flies off in immediate speed and almost hits Tadashi square in the face. Luckily he was quick enough to dodge it, although he ends up slumped on Kei’s living room floor.

The freckled boy spares no other look at him as he scrambles to lift himself up and runs out of the flat, through the door this time. They miss each other— Kei missing the terrified look on the other’s face, and Tadashi missing the way Kei’s seething façade crumble apart by the seams.

Kei needs to talk to Akiteru about the broken lock on the window when he gets home that evening. It needs to be changed as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhh this chapter ended up a lot shorter. And I wasn't very satisfied with how this turned out haha //sweats ;_; I procrastinated on writing this one too because some good friend of mine introduced me to touken ranbu ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) it's not gonna get in the way of writing this don't worry.
> 
> Also! I went back to the last few chapters and changed some minor things. Don't worry, everything is still pretty much the same except now I'll be calling Kuroo by his first name. (cough tetsurou still sounds p weird to me lmao but i still love u tetsurou)
> 
> We'll be exploring an entirely different pov next chapter!! So stay tuned~


	7. Dawn

No windows, no watches, and no way of knowing what time of day it is. She knew it was very well deep into the night. How deep they were however, she couldn’t figure out. Whether it was late midnight or early dawn, she didn’t bother to ponder very long.

Rough cheers and laughter rang loudly throughout the large room. But that was just coming from the people up front, and the ones in the back struggled to shove their way for more view. It was a miracle the noise didn’t live to bother anyone that was above them. As spacious as it was just earlier that day, it proved difficult to move around by the amount of people who loitered about—

—In this place just below the already dangerous streets of their home.

A stage stood tall at the center of the room, enclosed in a metal cage. And the noise that engulfed the room only intensified when the two contenders of the night stepped into their makeshift arena.

A loud echo made its way to her ears, it startles her, and the host introduces the two who will be sparring and putting on a show. The men and women around her cheered, but she kept quiet as she watched on with hard eyes.

“—And our challenger for the main event—“ The host speaks charismatically, hand gesturing to his right. “—Is one of our regulars! I’m sure you all know him, folks!”

The ‘challenger’ steps into view, his expression serious. His build and stature screamed intimidation, and the way his eyelids lowered made his focused gaze look even more terrifyingly captivating. Surely, no one would go against him. Except maybe the one in front of him— the main event, as the host had previously announced.

He stretches out his limbs and tightens the gauze wrapped around his fists. The cheers grow even louder.

People passed around a bag, putting in their wagers. She puts in her own. It was mandatory after all. She could only hope at that point that she would be getting that money back.

The bell signaling the beginning of the match rings.

Fists flew all around the moment the sharp sound reaches her ears. Who delivered the first punch, she wasn’t certain, but it didn’t matter at all. What mattered is how long the other can stand within the given time.

He took a blow to the side, and the pain jolted from one nerve to another. But he had no second to spare caring and instead he took a step to the side to dodge the next fist that came hurling towards him. His reflexes were as quick as his opponent’s. With a flick of his gaze, he spots a window in their defense and he aims straight through. It was a series of punches that followed afterwards— left hook, right hook, left hook and so on.

The blonde woman smirks to herself, and her brother cheers on beside her.

“He’s doing good, huh?” He nudges on the older woman. “Daichi’s gonna win this for sure,”

“It’s too early to say that, Ryuu,” She sighs.

“Come on, sis! It wouldn’t hurt to give a little support, y’know. That’s why we’re here,” Ryuunosuke crosses his arms. He turns to their other companions whose voices blended in with the crowd’s and he struggles to level with their volume. “What do you guys think?”

Yuu beams at him with a smile. “He is kicking ass in there! He’s totally gonna win!”

The crowd roars as he throws another perfectly timed punch to his opponent’s rib, the collective cheers along with grunts of disapproval drowning out the hard sound of pain and breaking skin.

“Daichi-san is really cool, huh?” A redhead tugs on Yuu’s sleeve, and the older man cheers with them. They continue watching with bright eyes, and when Daichi lands another strike, they stand with the overly excited crowd. “Did you see that? His fist went like, bzoom! And it hit the other guy like… Guwahh!”

“You better hurry up and get all big and buff like Daichi, Shouyo!” Yuu laughs with vigor as he pats his younger companion on the back. “Someday, you’re gonna fight in that ring too! You and Kageyama over there,”

“Please,” Ryuunosuke scoffs, loud enough for them to actually hear despite the grueling noise. “He can probably beat all of Suzumiya’s boys in this place at the same time if you gave him the chance!”

“I’d rather not,” Tobio pipes up from behind them like a looming tree, his face unfazed and unimpressed. His voice managed to get heard, surprisingly so.

A hard palm makes its way to the back of Tobio’s neck, followed by an invigorating laugh from Ryuunosuke. The raven-headed boy shoots them a poisonous look and Yuu laughs along his friend, teasing their younger companion. They only revert their attention back on the ring when a bell resounds, signaling the fall of a contender and they all cheer, minus Tobio who only watched with gleaming eyes of admiration.

They’re a handful bunch. Usually, when they’re this noisy, Saeko has a hard time focusing on anything else except on how to pacify them.

But this time, she stared on towards the center point of their evening with awe, along with half of the crowd who lost their cool because of the fallen main event.

Daichi really _is_ amazing.

 

* * *

 

Her head was pounding and her throat felt dry the second she came about. It felt like an eternity had passed since she last caught herself slip into unconsciousness, and a dim yellow light greeted her when she slowly fluttered her eyes open.

An unfamiliar scent wafts her senses. It wasn’t unpleasant to say the least, nor was it very pleasant as well. It was unfamiliar, if she had to describe it, and she instantly knew that she was somewhere far different than she was before. If only she knew where exactly she had been last.

She jerks awake and her movements cause a stinging pain by the side of her neck. But now was no time to be lying on an unfamiliar bed. She needed to know where she was.

“Hey, hey!” A soft voice came closer, and the girl couldn’t make out where it came from due to her disoriented state. How long was she asleep?

What happened before she went unconscious?

It was a haze. Her memories stretched and blurred, and faces of people whom she passed by disappeared from her mind. But she remembered running, running for her life, and being chased by a man who wished her nothing but ill thoughts.

She remembered fear.

A hand supported the back of her head and another one by her shoulder. Their hold was gentle, caring, and they helped her back down the mattress. But that was exactly what she didn’t want, and the action only made her retaliate against the person, the pain from her neck increasing by each movement she makes.

“P-Please calm down!” They speak up. “You’re not well yet so please…”

She blinks her eyes once, twice, thrice, and her vision finally becomes clear of unshed tears that brimmed because of equal pain and uncertainty.

Standing above her was a man with a slender yet large build, tousled light-hued hair standing out because of the dim lighting that hung above them. Their large brown eyes were filled with worry and a kind of serenity that the girl hadn’t felt in a while. But this person was still a stranger, in the same strange place where she was being held.

The girl just scoots at the further edge of the bed where the wall made contact with the mattress, and away from the ashen-haired man. She looked at him with wary. Fortunately, they didn’t try to get closer. Instead he took a step backward, looking a bit bashful for a moment.

They slowly made their way to the table next to her, and sets down a glass of water and a packet of what looked like medicinal tablets. The girl hugged her knees to herself the entire time.

“Um…” They twiddle with their fingers restlessly. “How’s your neck? Does it still hurt?”

She doesn’t answer, and gives him a frown instead.

“…Okay. Well… I’ll check on you again later. Please drink these—“ They gesture to the things set at the table. “—So you’ll feel a bit better,”

And at that, they left the room. The blonde girl finally let herself breathe, albeit a little, since her wound still brought her a stinging pain and the uncertainty of her location made her mind a bit wearier. She focuses on what’s in front of her, or rather, what’s around her. Maybe there’s a way for her to know where exactly she is.

The room looked worn down and old. Honestly, it didn’t look like she was being kept in a functioning house, with the lack of electricity and the broken windows that made the room drafty. A single candle was the only thing that kept the room lit. The walls were a rough concrete, no paint to smooth out the surface. There was no way to tell what time is it as well, all she knew is that it was around early dawn judging by the soothing light that settled itself in the room.

She could walk towards the window, get a clue on where she is, but she is quickly made aware of how weary her legs felt. It ached with fatigue. So the girl sits still in her spot, still confused, still uneasy and still woeful.

She didn’t know how long she sat there alone and in silence. She draws her knees to herself.

It hurt. Her legs hurt. Her wounds hurt. But out of it all, it was her heart that was in the most pain.

She recently turned twenty, yet she had no knowledge of the world around her. Up until her teens, she has been sheltered, taught about what was right and what was wrong according to the outlook of her elders. But never in her life had she actually did anything for herself. She had always been steered towards the direction her father deemed right, had always been molded into what her mother deemed perfect.

But she was empty. Hollow. She was not her own person.

Was it a mistake for her to leave her home?

Perhaps they were right. Perhaps this was punishment for going astray and betraying her parents.

Was it wrong for her to finally think about herself, about the pain she had been enduring for years since her childhood, and decide that she has had enough?

She had only intended to find her own way. It didn’t matter if it was right or wrong, as long as it was her own way. But now that she had stepped foot in this world she clearly knew nothing about, this world that clearly brought her terror, she became more doubtful of her actions.

Her tears were hot against her skin. It almost stung. She hated crying like this. But there was nothing else to do but be helpless, like she always is.

Did she miss them? Those monsters? No. But at the moment, she was scared. She was scared of the people after her, the people who could be looking for her at this very moment. She was scared of the people in this very building, the one who have her captive. But most of all, she was scared for herself and what the future had in store for her.

If she ever manages to get out of her current predicament, where would she go? Who would welcome her in this cruel world?

“Miss..?”

A small voice had her lifting her head up and she was met with wide bright eyes, orange locks imitating the rising sun with how it was sprawled everywhere.

“Suga-nii said you should drink your medicine so…” They speak softly. The little girl hands her a piece of cloth, to dry the other’s tears. “You must be hurting a lot. Please get better soon,”

When she takes the cloth from the child, the redhead perks up, determination gleaming from their eyes and proceeds to turn to the table beside her bed. The child pops a tablet from the packet, and hands it towards her.

Their presence filled her with a sense of comfort. Suddenly, she didn’t feel very alone. She takes the medicine from them and the glass of water that was handed afterwards. Their small palm touches her forehead and it catches her off-guard.

“Are you cold? How are you feeling? I brought some blankets for you if you need them!” The little girl talks in quick manner, excitable, yet their brows were knitted in a frown that was meant to be serious. “Does your cut hurt? I could get Suga-nii to change the bandage if you want,”

“It’s fine,” She finally mutters, albeit it was almost unheard with the way her voice sounded so hoarse. She clears her throat.

The little red-headed girl smiles at her. And she beams. “My name is Natsu, by the way!”

She bows her head with a tired smile of her own, voice still quiet.

 “Thank you for taking care of me, Natsu,”

The kid’s smile grew even wider. But then she makes a sudden noise, her expression curling into a cute frown. “Y-You must be tired! I’m sorry, I should go—“

“It’s okay, “ The blonde says. “I don’t mind a little company,”

 

* * *

 

The brunet leaned on the windowsill that lacked a proper opening. Dawn was approaching, and he watched the sky blanketed with lavender and ocean get washed by the morning tangerine. The mornings were always as cold as the night, and at one hand it should be refreshing and a delight to wake up to.

But he never really did appreciate it, considering the state of where he lived.

The boy sticks his head out the window, and then his body. His hand reaches out to one of the wooden planks that protruded out of the irregularly constructed building, grasping on it and carrying his weight. One foot stepping on a handle, and his other one on another windowsill, he skillfully maneuvers his way up to the very top of the pile of bricks and wood they call their home.

They were lucky to even have found this place. This part of town was nothing more than a run-down line of uninhabited buildings and houses, most of them demolished, some still standing but one dangerous step in them would reduce the place to rubble. Nevertheless, it provided a great view of the city at the horizon on one side, the sun shining just behind the buildings, and a breathtaking view of the sea on the other.

The air up here brought him peace from his daily life of labor.

He hadn’t had much sleep since the night before. And the last few nights before that. As he props himself by the edge of the rooftop, he was once again plagued with uneasiness, but he was mostly filled with worry for his dear friend that he hasn’t seen in a while.

“A while” would be underestimating it a bit. It felt like a lifetime has passed since he last saw them.

The look in their eyes that day— doubt, pain, _anger—_ it was obvious that the sentiment was for him and him alone. It terrified him.

But he was never one to get deterred by their cold exterior. He grew up knowing the stone cold wall that stood before him by heart, and he spent his young years scaling and climbing and working his way to get to the other side of that very wall— where it was warm and soft and pliant.

Another looming wall stood tall in front of him. He’s willing to overcome this one again. For them.

A lot has changed. He felt it the moment they first looked at him with their unforgiving eyes. They were familiar, and if anything he should be getting nostalgic at the very memory— it was how they looked at him when they first met after all. But at that moment, they looked at him as a stranger.

A ghost.

A dead person already forgotten.

And it terrifies him to death.

He hopes that it wasn’t the case. He still had hope.

Hope that they still remember him.

 

* * *

 

“Ah! Welcome home you guys!” Natsu beams from the door frame to the living room. Her brother gives her a smile as he trots towards her, giving her a pat on the head. She takes his hand in hers as she asks. “So how did it go?”

Shouyo’s smile dims into a soft one instead, but still smiling nonetheless. Ryuunosuke answers for him.

“Well… We kinda lost… But at least we stole a round,”

More voices speak up at that.

"I'm willing to bet that it was rigged!"

"Isn't that kind of a loser call to make, Noya-san?"

"Who are you calling loser, Kageyama?"

"Shut up, you two..."

"At least we got compensation for that match, right?"

The older redhead grins. “Yeah! You should’ve seen Daichi-san, Natsu! He was amazing! He sent that guy flying!”

“Really? Hey Ryyu-nii, can I go and watch you guys next time?”

Ryuunosuke jumps to move towards the girl and the two boys amuse her with small talk. Natsu’s brother was everything she described and probably more. The two together was a sight for sore eyes.

The blonde girl watched them from behind the door frame where Natsu came out, listened to their conversations that didn’t get processed at all for being jumbled up with the other’s noise. They were too lively for being up in the morning like this. But strangely enough, she didn’t feel quite bothered by it.

It wasn’t like this at her old household at all.

It was quiet. It had always been quiet. Her parents used to do their own routines separately in the morning, and she was left to her own as well. This way, they were uninterrupted and they moved swiftly to get to their work. There was no talking, no sitting down together to eat breakfast. It didn’t feel like a home to her at all.

“Sugawara,” She hears a voice above everyone’s. “How is she holding up?”

“Well…” Someone answers, and their conversation perked her interest for some reason. They were a bit hard to hear however.

That voice… It was the man from earlier. The one in her room.

“She’s doing fine. Her fever’s gone down, so she’ll be okay. I hope,”

Who were these people?

They didn’t seem like bad people at all. But why would they pick up a runt like her? Why would they go as far as to patch her up? What are they after?

They were strangers and she should be scared of them, she still is, but the feeling was slowly starting to dissipate the longer she sat there, hidden, listening to them bustle around, listening to their small talk, their laughter.

It really wasn’t like this at her old household at all. But somehow, it fills her with a sense of confidence.

She swallows the lump on her throat, swallows the shakiness she knew she would sputter out the moment she speaks. And slowly, she steps out into plain view.

The first one to notice the new face behind Natsu was the girl’s own brother, stopping in the middle of his sentence, and that alone made everybody curious as to why he had to shut up. The sudden stares and the attention directed at her didn’t help her rising nerves at all.

The girl bows her head, averting everyone’s gaze.

Her tone was firm, the shakiness and hoarseness of it all gone.

“Thank you for taking care of me,”

The few seconds of silence were driving her insane. She thought she might melt into a puddle of embarrassment right there on the floor. Then again, that might be more embarrassing.

The first one to say anything was the shorter boy behind Ryuunosuke, a grin gracing his features. “Hey! You’re awake!”

No sooner than that, everyone greeted her with smiles of their own. Sincerity, relief. It overwhelmed her.

“Are you feeling okay now?”

“Hey, let’s go get her something to eat!”

“You’re not cold are you? I know it could get a bit chilly in here…”

“Suga-san, I hope she’s well enough to stand on her own like that. She was in a terrible state when we found her!”

“I-I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me!” The girl speaks up again; she couldn’t help but play with her hands as a means of distracting herself. Her gaze lands on the man who had taken care of her earlier, and she tries to smile as she takes a step forward. “Um… Suga-san… Is it? Thank you…”

The other smiles back and waves a hand. “It’s no problem. Ah, here. Sit here,” He stands up from his seat on the couch and she steps towards his place, albeit awkwardly.

Or maybe she shouldn’t have sat on the couch, where she was beside a rather burly-looking man covered in bruises and bandages. How she didn’t notice her before, she hadn’t had the time to ponder very long. His eyes looked at her with something she couldn’t pinpoint exactly, but it made her uneasy. Until he gives a welcoming smile of his own, and then a laugh.

“I’m sorry you have to see me like this, beaten up and all,” He scratches the back of his head. “It’s kinda embarrassing, please stop staring,”

The others laugh at his bashfulness. He sends them a glare before turning back at the girl. He offers a hand. “I’m Sawamura. But you can call me Daichi,”

She eases up and shakes the man’s hand, and she finally begins to smile out of amusement for the whole lot.

“Hey, that reminds me,” The short boy with the streaked hair speaks up. “We didn’t get your name, miss,”

“Ah… I’m…” She retreats back to herself. “…Hitoka. Hitoka Yachi…”

She immediately learns how excitable this group of people are when they all beam up energetically, shouting their introductions towards her. Normally, it would’ve made her nervous, but strangely enough, it made her feel more welcome.

Yachi learns their names; Natsu’s brother Shouyo, Ryuunosuke was the one who looked really intimidating at first as well, the boy with his streaked hair in a ponytail is Yuu, and the one that stood tall and silent was Tobio, although he states that he’d like to be called Kageyama.

When they all went back to their own senseless talk, their loud bickering, Yachi couldn’t help but watch. Being surrounded by such lively people wasn’t something she was used to, much less something she has actual experience handling. But there was something about them, something that made her feel at ease right away.

Is this how they spent their mornings every day?

“Hey, nee-chan,” Natsu approaches her. She was one of those people who could smile with her eyes. “Are you going to be staying with us?”

The question catches her off-guard.

The world she had step foot in wasn’t very kind. In fact, it was cruel enough to have grazed her with its fangs the very moment she left her home. With this in mind, she wouldn’t have thought that she would find a light such as this. Sure, it wasn’t much, and they blended in quite well with the dangers that is the nature of this world rooted in the darkness. But it was light nonetheless. It was manna from heaven so to speak.

 This world terrified her to the point that she considered going back to where she came from. But she was smart enough to know that that was not where she belonged.

She hopes that maybe, she could learn more about this terrifying world. Maybe she would find her place here.

After all, the first step to finally getting somewhere in her life, is to push away all her fears, no matter how terrifying it is.

Yachi looks away, but the corners of her mouth tugs in a small smile.

“…If you wouldn’t mind having me,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's pretty much the actual streetfighting in this streetfighter AU! Haha, idk man i'm lame why did i even choose this au to write it's so hard--
> 
> But hey, I think it's safe to tag the other characters now! And also the next few characters that will be making an appearance and have actual significance. Haha, there's so many of them I hope y'all aren't confused. Yet. haha //sweats;;;
> 
> Also!! Side pairings because why not, right? I'll be tagging them too~
> 
> Oh and btw, just a quick poll: Would anybody prefer to have illustrations included in this fic? Since I draw for previous of it on tumblr, I was thinking why not put drawings here too :) some feedback would be nice.
> 
> Thanks again for sticking with this story~ All comments and feedback are greatly appreciated ;;__;; seriously. I cry over them at night sometimes TT__TT


	8. Fate

They’ve always had a way with finding each other.

One of them would always be lost in the dark, always submerged in a sea of their endless worries, and blind towards their own strength and weaknesses. And just when one of them would crack apart, a hand would always be there to help them back up. It’s almost torture, really— with how it’s always at the last minute, always when one of them is about to give up.

Almost about to forget.

But it was something that he had no control over. It was like a pattern. He shouldn’t have been surprised, and certainly he should be _thankful._

And they were there, after all. They were there when he was at his lowest.

It was a shame. Such a shame it was, that they became a reason for him to fall back down to his lowest.

 

* * *

 

The first step he made out of the train wasn’t even his, as he was pushed out by the surplus of people who got off of the ride. The space was limited, and he struggled to keep his footing and keep tabs on the other two who went ahead of him at the same time. Luckily enough, they dispersed quite quickly and the blond found himself leaning on the nearby wall to catch his breath, exhausted.

It was a good idea at first when Kei considered going to a convention out of Tokyo with Tetsurou and Kenma, staying in a hotel with them for two days, going on a mini break from the routine they’ve built up especially for college. But then again, he was never really a fan of large crowds or cramped spaces, whether or not they were people with the same interests. They were strangers after all, and in actuality, whatever it was that Kenma was into, it didn’t concern Kei at all. It seemed like Tetsurou had been dragged to it as well.

 “Where are you even gonna hang this?”

“My room, obviously,” Kenma tugs the poster from Tetsurou’s grasps when he had unceremoniously tugged the thing from his bag full of novelties.

Kei groans to himself at the two’s bickering as he trudged along behind them. He was carrying nothing but his backpack that was lighter than air and a separate bag with a few souvenirs from their little trip.

“I can’t believe I let you two drag me into something as lame as that,”

“Ah—“ Tetsurou turns to the younger blond with a grin. “But you did come with us out of your own free will,”

“Whatever,”

The three part ways after they get off at Kozashibuya station and Kei takes one more bus ride home. Exactly at the moment he sat on his seat, he receives a text message from Tetsurou, telling him to ‘take care’, his message ending with a cat emoticon.

He didn’t mind it though, the trip that is. Kei had only agreed to go along with them, if it meant clearing his mind of recent woes. But now, he was practically taking a chariot back to the reality he lived in.

And he’s itching with irritation.

 _Why? Just why? How dare you? And after all these years? Where were you?_   _What have you been doing all this time?_ He wanted to ask these questions to him. But the only chance he had to ask him slipped out of his very fingers.

Or rather, he let the very chance drop to the floor, because it was scalding hot and it hurt him to keep hold of it with his hands.

He almost misses his stop and he had to hurry off the bus after five minutes of just spacing out, glaring at the glass in front of his face as if the very material has offended every fiber of his being. The cold breeze that greeted him out of the bus did nothing to cool his head. It only irritated him further.

He needs to face it as soon as possible. But Kei needs to sort himself out first. He needs to face the fact that he’s never going to get over it, forget it, or outrun it. His past had always latched onto him like a leech and he was too self-absorbed in his pity to yank it off and move on with his life. He brought this onto himself and he has to face it.

 _Alright. Calm down. You’re not gonna get anything done if you’re angry at nothing._ Kei tries to assure himself as he briskly walks through the square.

_You want answers, right? Yeah. Just find him, ask him, and you’re done. Easy._

A number of people sidestepped around him as he passed, probably intimidated because of the sour look on his face. Kei sighs again, tries to collect himself, and walks a little faster even though the street was filled with people.

…He couldn’t find him for four years. How is he supposed to find him now?

Whatever kind of game fate was playing with him for the past few weeks, he didn’t know exactly nor did he want to partake in it. He had deduced from the moment Tadashi showed himself, that fate was nothing more than a little green jester with an evil grin permanently etched on its creepy face. It was a jester with a cruel, high-pitched laugh; a jester with tarot cards that had control over Kei’s destiny. Fate is a sadistic, evil, little green jester.

Kei hears a shout from a short distance away and he sees the crowd of people just passing by in front of him disperse as another person sprints by. Kei slows down to a stop, but as the runner came closer and closer to his direction, he wished he even had a second to spare to step out of the fucking way—

—Before the stranger unceremoniously runs into him and the both of them topple graciously down the asphalt.

People stared and people mumbled to themselves about the scene. Kei grunts at the throbbing pain as he props himself up with his elbows as did the stranger. Their foreheads had bumped on the way down, and Kei could feel a tumor already sprouting at how much it hurt. He snaps his eyes open with a growl, sparing a split second to thank whatever god out there that he didn’t break his glasses a second time, before he glared at the stranger who was still on top of him.

The insult he was supposed to throw dies somewhere in his mouth when he sees the familiar face.

“You—“ Kei says in a breath.

“Ah— Hey—“ Tadashi breathes back. He smiles.

They hear another shout, voice closer this time, and Tadashi whips his head towards the sound. He curses under his breath, quickly gets on his feet and scrambles for the messenger bag that slipped out of his grasps just a few seconds ago.

“I-I’m sorry! I—“ The freckled boy bounces on his spot, restless, gaze turning towards his pursuer, and then at Kei, and then back at his pursuer before he breaks into another sprint towards the other direction.

Kei blinks at the spot where Tadashi was standing just literally a second ago. He was pulled back from his daze by a concerned citizen offering him a hand up.

“You okay there, pal?”

“Yeah, yeah I’m fine,” Kei dusts himself off.

“That was crazy, huh?” The guy says before he walks away and leaves after Kei nods in agreement.

Indeed. How bizarre was it for them to keep meeting this way? Maybe the green little jester is trying to tell him something. Maybe it’s giving him another chance.

Kei gazes over where Tadashi had headed.

Maybe it’s about time for him to take charge over his own fate.

 

* * *

 

They’ve always had a way with finding each other.

But fate was not to blame for whatever drew them to one another. They found the way on their own; they _decided_ to chase each other despite being miles and years away. And in their own path, they found their own light, reached up for the air they breathed and slowly took sight of the things that were in front of them this whole time.

It was something that he had control over. It was a pattern they followed.

Because they were there too. They were there when he was at his lowest.

 

* * *

 

 _Never get caught_ is the first rule of how they do things. But they’ve never been too strict with this regulation. After all, their very job bends a rather common law of the society they live in. And it’s not like it can’t get helped, whenever you get distracted and accidentally give yourself away.

By all means, this kind of encounter is far from something new. It happens from time to time— an occupational hazard, if you may. Over the countless times they’ve been doing this, being chased all over the place that is, the alternative is always to outrun them and hide from those who they stole from.

It was normal. Everything is fine. But why is he panicking?

It might have something to do with the fact that he’s alone here to fend for himself, separated from three of his companions. Never mind the fact that he got caught and is currently being chased.

Without any idea of where to go, the brunet turns to street over street, running in a maze of alleyways where he would be able to hide himself better compared to being out in plain sight. He didn’t bother to remind himself where he was, didn’t bother knowing where he was going as long as he wins the pursuit.

He hears another shout from the distance and he tosses the bag he carried, up the fence that stood in front of him. The air burns his lungs as he claws up the metal fence, lifting himself up quickly.

It was almost as if he was running away from something else entirely.

The voice sounded closer than ever, and in his haste, his foot caught on a stray wire at the very top.

“Fuck!” Tadashi hisses at the restraint. He tries to tug himself free, but the wire only tore through the cloth of his jeans and scratched his skin further.

With one last pull, he was able to break away, but the force of it made his grip on the fence loosen.

A pained grunt escapes his lips when he landed at the foot of the fence, but he spared no more than a second to get back on his feet even if his leg felt like hell. Tadashi grabs his bag and immediately makes a run for it.

For whatever reason he freaked out, he must’ve blew it out of proportion in his head. The shout that he swore that was _too_ close sounded nonexistent now.

He ran and ran still, and for good measure, he ran some more until the pain on his left leg became unbearable. Tadashi slows down to a stop; leaning against the concrete wall of whatever building he passed by. It proved difficult to even his breathing with the amount of running he did, but he tried his best to calm himself down as he sat there.

The unknown alleyway he had dashed into seemed pretty secluded to say the least. The buildings blocked most of the sunlight, and the shadows helped conceal him from his pursuer. Tadashi breathes a sigh of relief. He lost them.

Tadashi reaches for his bag to check its contents. After making sure that everything was still there and in one piece, he stands up from the ground. He had to keep moving, and fast. He had to find his way back, and find his companions.

Fate was a marvelous thing. It was like a graceful wheel that spun round and round— endless, continuous. It just meant that destiny wasn’t an ultimatum or a goal of sorts, but rather something that fluctuates and steers the life of people. It’s baffling how people “chase” after their fate. It would be like a hamster on a wheel, and at the end of your run, you would just be tired.

 He used to believe that fate always had something great in store for one’s life, for their future.

_Used to._

The moment he steps out of the alleyway where he hid himself for god knows how long, he immediately gets the wind knocked out of him when he bumps into another passerby.

Boy is he clumsy today.

Running into strangers (and not-so-strangers), getting himself caught while on the job— normally these only happens when he’s distracted like he is.

Tackling Kei to the ground accidentally was one thing, but meeting him again at the same day was just bizarre.

* * *

Tsukishima Kei has always had this habit of speaking first, and thinking later. What with his sharp tongue and all

But every time he looks at the freckled boy with him, his brain short-circuits with the questions that seem to come from all directions. Every time he looks at said boy, every single word that he thinks of dies before they live to see the light of day.

Yamaguchi Tadashi has always been an exception to a lot of things involving Kei. And it infuriates the blond at how it still applies in present time.

The brunet grunts as he sat on the bench, cold from the lack of sunlight that usually shone at this time of day. He didn’t complain exactly. The last thing he needed at the moment was something to make his condition worse.

He rolls up the left side of his jeans, and Kei reacted for him before he had the chance.

“Oh, ew,” Kei makes a face as he walks back from the convenience store, and the first thing he notices is the gash on Tadashi’s leg. The blond hands him the bottled water he brought. “Here, wash that off,”

Tadashi mutters a thank you under his breath. He pulls out an unused handkerchief from his bag and proceeds to dab the cloth on his wound. Kei sits next to him.

He finishes tending to his wound in silence, and silence filled the space between them still. He hums, his gaze trailing to one object to another, and then at Kei albeit for just half a second and then back on the ground. It was clear that he didn’t know how to break the silence. Kei wasn’t better at it either.

“So…” Tadashi starts. Finally. “How have you been?”

 _What the hell kind of question is that?_ Tsukishima spits internally. “Fine. Good,”

“Okay,” He nods.

Another ear-splitting silence fell on them. But it was anything but quiet on Kei’s end. Because all he hears in his head are the questions he has absolutely been _dying_ to ask. Tadashi looked on ahead, his form still, hands intertwined and rested before him as he slouched forward. Despite looking relaxed, his gaze was… Absent, to say the least. There was a growing weariness in his eyes that Kei took note of just now, and he didn’t look any better with the dark circles under his eyes.

He was just as nervous as Kei.

Nervous? Is that what Kei was feeling too? What nonsense.

It might have been just a trick of the light when he saw a small smile on Tadashi’s lips, there in one second but gone in a blink, and Kei is immediately made aware that he has been staring at the freckled boy.

“…It’s been a while,”

The words breeze out like the wind and Kei almost misses it.

“Yeah,” He says, his voice just a tad bit louder than theirs.

The brunet laughs, lightly. A way for him to brush off the anxiousness he feels. “I’m sorry I broke into your house. Like twice,”

Kei gives him a look, but goes back to staring at nothing in front of him with the usual apathy that rested on his face. “You already apologized for that,”

The blond sighs. He needed a way to keep at least a steady conversation going.

“Is your foot alright?”

“Ah—“ Tadashi wiggles his foot a bit to test it out. “It’s fine. I’ll live,”

“What did you do anyway? You running around and tackling me like a football player,”

Tadashi laughs again, steady this time. But the sound dwindles at the hard look Kei gave him. He looks away.

“Well why do you think someone runs like that? I was being chased,” He pouted.

“That guy called you a thief,” Kei turns his body to face him, and the way the other looked at him made him feel incredibly small and backed up against a wall.

“Huh, he did now, didn’t he? Well he’s not wrong,” The brunet tries to level their gazes.

Kei just frowns down on him. And he lets out an exasperated sigh as he leans back on the bench.

“Not exactly how I thought I’d find you but…” The blond mutters under his breath.

Tadashi turns to look at him, in which Kei tried to ignore. But when he couldn’t help himself and glance back, he found it hard to miss the fondness that Tadashi conveyed with his eyes.

His voice had a certain fondness to it as well.

“You were… looking for me?”

It irks him. Kei doesn’t answer. He shrugs instead.

“So… You guys really were looking for me…”

The way Kei heard it made it sound like something else entirely. Maybe that was what they intended. He could never really be sure. He doesn’t know them anymore after all.

But he replied, words hard and pointed towards whatever meaning Kei had formulated about Tadashi’s statement in his head.

“It’s harder to find someone who keeps themselves hidden all this time,”

Kei refused to look at them when they fell silent. But he can practically feel the distance they’ve set in between the two of them, and the nonexistent sound of closing in on themselves.

Whatever attempt, whatever prior thought the two had, died somewhere in the middle of their rather awkward conversation. If that conversation was anything to pass by at all.

“Right,” was his only answer.

He didn’t regret it one bit when he finally let it go. Because somehow, that sentence twisted the right gut inside Kei that made him scowl like someone stepped all over his glasses with ill intent. He felt the need to snap back, similar to how he always handled it whenever his pride was threatened and whenever he feels cornered.

The silence this time lasted even longer. It might’ve been just a few seconds, a minute, hours, maybe even a lifetime or two has passed. Tadashi stands up, tentatively, after drowning for god knows how long in this silence.

He lets out a breath to clear his lungs, his chest, and claps his hands together to break the silence one final time.

“I have to get going. I need to find the others who might also be looking for me right now,” Tadashi turns to face Kei with a practiced smile.

He can’t bring himself to return it. Not anymore.

         

“I’ll see you around, alright?”

“Yeah,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aahhh sorry for the delay on this chapter!! I had a hard time writing this chapter and admittedly speaking, I got distracted by *ahem* SiF..... It's score match..... Pardon me.... BUT ANYWHO!! It's here, they meet again. How bout that? I've also been borrowing some time to catch up on some reading, refreshing my vocabulary and studying writing styles and whatnot. It certainly helped. Can you tell that this chapter's written a bit differently than the rest? Probably. It's also probably due to my motivation dwindling for the past week hahaha darn
> 
> I included a couple of drawings in this chapters just like you guys had commented, and also to make up for the lateness~ And for an added bonus, I'll let you all in on a little sneak peak to the next couple of chapters: We'll be starting to explore one of the characters' background! Now how gnarly is that
> 
> Again, thank you so much for the comments and kudos, they mean a lot to me and keeps me going and up like at 5am everyday TT_TT Stay cool and frosty, nerds.


	9. Chase

Personally speaking, he should be paid above his usual pay grade if he was to go to work three hours beyond his shift. Like overtime, but instead of three hours _after_ his work hours, it was _before_.

His schedule during Wednesdays last semester includes all of his classes on that day packed in the morning, which leaves him the entire afternoon free. He had to haggle with Miss Shimizu for this slight alteration in his work schedule, and because he was _such a hardworking and dedicated_ college student, Kiyoko had granted him mornings off Wednesdays.

Now that he’s on break after finals, Wednesday mornings are the only times he gets to sleep in, besides Sundays.

So you can just _imagine_ Kei’s face when he receives an “emergency” call from Yui at 6:30 in the fucking morning, asking him to come to work early today. Which was right now.

It is 8:45, and Kei’s no better than the Grinch who stole Christmas and failed. He shouldn’t be tasked with front desk duty until he gets his morning coffee and his work face on unless they wanted sales to plummet down the toilet, but here he is. How he hadn’t manage to scare everyone off, nobody will ever really know.

Thankfully enough or not really, only a few customers are in the store, too few for him to actually be conscious of.

“So,” Kei turns to the restless old woman beside him, awake and perked up and keeping an intense eye at the very few lurkers in the shop. “Where is this suspect of yours?”

“He was here a while ago… You missed him! I told you, you should’ve showed up earlier!” Yui hissed as she stepped closer to Kei’s area in the cashier.

He thought that maybe the newly installed cameras from the maintenance a few weeks ago would finally relieve Yui of her growing paranoia about someone stealing from their stock. But if anything, it made her more invested with capturing this thief red-handed. Leave it up to her to defend her honour.

Kei just sighs. It’s too fucking early for this. Lord forgive whatever comes out of his mouth next.

He tries to compose himself and speaks in a soft and hushed voice. “Remind me again why I’m here, Michimiya-san,”

“I told you I—“ The sound of the bell by the entrance cuts her off, and Yui chirps a small “Welcome!” instead of answering Kei.

Her cheerful employee smile immediately turns into a surprised frown, and Kei would’ve laughed at how comical the turn looked if only he wasn’t deprived of his precious sleep.

Yui unceremoniously tugs on Kei’s arm, pulling the taller blond to her level until they were cheek to cheek and whatever it is Yui saw, it also landed on Kei’s line of sight. Frankly, it startles his rather dull and tired mind.

“He’s here! Right there, look— Over there! The one with the hoodie on,”

 

                    

                    

 

Kei can now see why this certain “customer” looked suspicious to Yui. Seriously, anybody would find them shady. The alleged “thief” wore a dark hoodie jacket, their hair messy enough that tufts of tangerine hair sprang out of their hood. They looked a lot shorter than Kei previously thought, which made him guess that the person was in their teens. Then again, he was short to Kei because he was just freakishly tall.

“Who? The shrimp?” Kei squints when he finally spots the customer Yui was pointing at.

“Keep your voice down,” the brunette whispers. “Yeah, him,”

“With how you’re clinging onto me now, he’s going to notice us,” He tries to shrug Yui’s hold on him, but the brunette was persistent. “How do you even know that’s the same person?”

“I just know, okay? Just look at him,” She rambles on and on. “Keep an eye on him. You’ll know what I’m talking about,”

Perhaps the only way out of Yui’s persistence would be to just go along with it. So Kei agrees to keep tabs on their target, but not before sorting a quick deal to compensate his time. She agrees on paying for his lunch later before his actual shift. Kei might as well squeeze something more out of Yui so he kindly and _politely_ asks her to get him some coffee as well. Thankfully, she agrees on it too.

She’s such a twit sometimes. But so was he, and Kei’s already acquainted with it just as much as the others are used to his brand of apathy and sarcasm.

Just like what she had asked, Kei kept on lookout with the customers, especially on the hooded midget. At least now, with a cup of coffee on his counter, he’s a little bit more willing to go along with Yui’s little stakeout.

A few customers came in and out, and he rings up a couple of others who made their own purchases. Keeping his attention on his job and on the midget who seemed to still not settle on buying anything was kind of a bit exhausting. Then again, it was only 9AM. He’s soul is not supposed to be awake yet.

The midget circled around the aisles at least three times, but just like what Yui said, the guy frequented the section where they displayed the romance novels. They must’ve skimmed through every book they had, even though there was a sign literally above the shelf that said “No private reading”. Kei couldn’t help but actually watch them this time.

After about fifteen more minutes of them strolling around the shop, they finally step out, quite quickly at that.

“Tsukishima!” Yui appears from behind him and slaps him on the back, and he jolts up at the sound of his name. “Follow him!”

“Excuse me?”

“Go follow him! Catch him!”

“What— No—“

“Tsukishima Kei!” Without letting him finish, Yui shoves him off of his stool and out the counter. The blond stumble a bit in his steps, and Yui spared no time shooing him off. “Go! I’ll cover you! Just go catch him!”

Usually, this is the part where Kei puts his foot down and says _no, I am not going to run after a midget at nine in the freaking morning_ but the look on Yui’s eyes looked too murderous to argue. Kei scrambles to step out of the store, and due west at the corner of his eyes, he spots the tangerine-haired lad turn to a corner.

Kei jogs to catch up with them but leaves a little distance as to not blow his cover. The morning rush greets him the moment he turns to the same direction as the other. He almost gets caught when the alleged thief turns to check the trail behind him. Thankfully enough, Kei wasn't recognized in the endless sea of people who matched his pace.

At some point during the whole ordeal, Kei became a little bit more into following the midget thief. Where they were headed, Kei didn’t know exactly and a part of him doesn't really want to keep up anymore. But the imminent fear of Yui dragging him down if Kiyoko ever questions them about the missing supplies again kept him in line and moving according to the older brunette's will.

Honestly, they weren’t even sure if the guy _actually_ stole something. But he kept pursuit anyway. Even though this is totally above his pay grade.

Kei only stops when he notices the lack of people around at this part of… Wherever the hell he is. Where is he even? What time is it? He doesn’t even know. Kei turns to his heel, eyeing his surroundings and looking for any sort of indicator of where he is— a street sign or whatever. But to no luck. He couldn’t have been walking that far, could he?

And where’s the midget?

The blond sighs. Unbelievable. Not only is he lost, but somehow he had lost sight of the thief too. That’s what you get for being distracted for just a second, Kei ponders to himself condescendingly. He pulls out his phone to dial Yui.

“Did you get him?” Came Yui’s voice the moment the other line clicked.

Kei just rolls his eyes. “Hello to you too. And no. I think I lost him,”

He keeps walking at a leisure-like pace since there’s no point in rushing himself anymore now that he’s lost his target. Kei spares a look at every corner and every alleyway he crosses, mostly to just find out where he is and where the hell he’s going.

The place he ended up on looked like a neighborhood of sorts. Or what’s left of it, anyway. He could’ve sworn that at least half of the buildings and houses were abandoned judging by how poorly kept they are. Broken windows and boarded up doors were the common sight among them aside from the messy vandalized walls of some buildings. Various clumps of trash littered the small road that stretched ahead, and surely enough, the place didn’t exactly smell clean. Kei had to repress the urge to cover his nose; he just tried to walk a little faster.

“Darn it, Tsukishima,” The older woman sighs dramatically. “You almost had him!”

“Yeah, well sorry,” He snaps back. “But I’m kind of lost here too, y’know,”

“What? Where are you?”

“If I knew I wouldn’t be here telling you that I’m lost,”

“Just go back the way you came, maybe?” Yui suggests. “Hurry back okay?”

“Yeah right,” Kei hangs up after that. He felt no need to hurry. His shift isn’t starting for three more hours anyway. Then again, Yui did owe him lunch.

The neighborhood-of-sorts looked small enough but for some odd reason, it just seemed to go on forever. That, or he’s just going in circles. He didn’t really pay attention to where he’s turning, because there’s really nothing to pay attention to. There were no road signs pointing to anywhere familiar and Kei was left to depend on his sense of direction, which was shitty enough on its own.

Just as he was about to lose hope in actually getting out of this neighborhood, Kei spots movement in a nearby alleyway.

That shouldn’t be a good sign. Alleyways were bad, and that should be settled enough already as it is, especially with what happened a few weeks back. It was entirely his fault back then when he decided to go up against three thugs sure, but a human being can learn too, right? Right.

Wrong. Tsukishima Kei might as well not have a second chance at all. Beyond his better judgement, he follows the moving figure further in the dark, mangy alleyway that reek of something presumably dead, presumably _just_ an animal. His reason? Because this is as close as he could get to getting back on the right track. He hasn’t seen a single living soul in these streets that could help him pinpoint where he is and at least direct him to the nearest bus station.

And what if it turns out for the worst and he’s actually following, let’s say, a murderer? Well then, may god help his poor and short-lived soul.

The further he descended into the alleyway, the less sunlight there was to help him make his way. The buildings pressed up together in a way that it obscured any light that was graced from above. What kept him going was the moving figure he was following. How they haven’t noticed him trailing after their steps, he doesn’t ponder any longer.

Soon, he finds himself out of the dark and cramped alleyway.

 

                 

 

This part of the neighborhood-of-sorts looked a little less abandoned, because almost every building he saw was nothing more than a pile of rubble and planks. They couldn’t possibly pass off as buildings anymore. The cold wind that breezes through doesn’t really help, and all it does is blow a little bit of sand on Kei’s face. Good thing he wore glasses.

At the distance, he sees a boy with messy orange hair. How odd. But finally, it was something familiar. Kei runs to their direction.

For some reason, they still don’t notice Kei following them even though there were no other people out here but the two of them, and the steps he took towards the redhead made it blatantly obvious. A part of him just wanted to _yell,_ get this goose chase over with and hand this boy to justice. Or to Yui. Or whatever. Kei doesn’t particularly care.

The one part of him wins out and his pace increases, practically jogging up to them, angrily doing so. Can you blame him? Being put up to this nonsense. The least he could do is make sure his effort wasn’t put into waste.

The midget _finally_ notices the sound of sneakers against gravel, and quite dumbly turns to the source of the sound.

“Hey! Shrimp!” the blond yells, making the other squeak in surprise and bolt away. Kei’s having absolutely none of that.

In hindsight, it might have _not_ been a good idea to pursue the redheaded midget like this. But it’s not like he knew the kid could run _ridiculously_ fast. That, or Kei’s just really out of shape. He hasn’t worked out as much as he did back then when he was in high school, and now his stamina is failing him.

By whatever stroke of luck however, he catches up to the boy by an arm’s length. Kei reaches to grab hold of the other’s hoodie, yanking him backwards.  One thing led to another, and the boy stumbles backwards as Kei trips forward. What a mess.

“Y-You’re that guy from the book store!” The redhead practically shrills the moment they recognize Kei’s face. They were still slumped on the ground with a face of bewilderment.

Kei scrambles up to his feet. “Yeah. Now, give it back,”

“What—“

“Whatever it is you stole. Hand it over. Now,” Kei’s voice was as harsh as the face he gave him.

“Look, man— I have no idea what you’re talking about—“

“Kid, I don’t like being lied to,”

“Kid!?” Their face contorts into something that clearly screamed offended. Because obviously, that was more important. “I’m twenty-fucking-one years old!”

“Good for you, shrimp. Now give it—“

The redhead spring up from their spot on the ground feet first. Kei wasn’t given a second to spare or even a step to take towards them when the boy turns on his heel, making a complete 360, before effectively planting a kick to Kei’s abdomen.

Kei doubles over in pain and lands on the ground.

His own grunt drowns all other noises, including the sound of a couple more pairs of feet making their way towards where he is and the sound of voices arguing. The pain on his stomach almost numbed every other sense in his body.

“Oi! We heard— Holy shit, Shouyo! What…” The voice was no more than a mere echo that reached his ears.

Kei couldn’t bring to lift himself up by how much it _fucking_ hurt, so he laid there on the ground face first.

“Is that..? T-Tsuki—Tsukishima? Hey!”

That was the last thing he heard before he felt himself being hauled up and dragged somewhere.

 

* * *

 

When exactly he passed out, he couldn’t really remember, much less recall the circumstances that led him to pass out like he did. The distinct ache on his stomach alerted his mind and at the same time, it made him want to curl up into a ball until it went away. It also made him want to hurl, but he kept himself from upchucking on the person who held him up.

A kick to the stomach couldn’t possibly make him this disoriented, but then again, this level of pain isn’t something Kei dealt with on a regular basis.

He tries to open his eyes only to get confused at the lack of sharpness to just about everything. He takes a moment to remind himself that he wore glasses.

As if speaking out loud, his specs find their way back on his face without his help. Kei blinks tentatively, and the other person’s face finally takes form before his very eyes.

“Hey,” Tadashi gives him an apologetic smile, his hands on the side of Kei’s face where he had slid the eyeglasses. “Are you alright?”

“…Yamaguchi?” His voice was strained and small. He didn’t sound like himself. Kei tries to sit up, groaning. “It hurts like hell,”

“Just sit still. Uh…”The brunet scrambles away for a moment, coming back with an icepack. “That’s gonna leave a nasty bruise. What are you even doing here? Shouyo told us that you were following him,”

“Shouyo? Is that his name?” Kei couldn’t help but laugh. “Well that prick stole something from our shop,”

“Shop?”

“That twit steals the stupidest things,” Another voice speaks up. Kei peers from his spot to watch them empty out a bag full of novelties that were indeed from their store. They hold up one of them with a hand and Kei recognizes it as one of the books they had on display earlier. “Seriously? What the hell are you gonna do with this? I thought you can’t read?”

The redhead, Shouyo, storms out of nowhere and grabs the book. “I can read, Bakageyama! And this isn’t for me. I was gonna give it to Noya-san,”

Tadashi cuts in between his two companions, his face unamused. “You do know that if Noya finds out that you’re stealing _for_ him, he’s going to rip you a new one, right?”

“I’m gonna rip you a new one if you don’t give those back, midget,” Kei says.

“Who’s this anyway? Tadashi, you know him?”

“This is… Uh…”

“Tsukishima. Tsukishima Kei,” The blond offers.

Tobio sighs as he drops the rest of the stolen things. “Just give it back. We don’t have use for this stuff anyway. It’s all junk,”

“Oh come on, I went through so much trouble to get that—“ Shouyo tries to argue, but the two, make that three, glare at him.

After a few more arguments between Tobio and Shouyo, Tadashi walks Kei outside their shack, the bag of supplies hung from his shoulder. The air felt a little less stuffy outside and Kei was able to finally notice the faint smell of the sea now that he could breathe properly.

“Where are we anyway?”

“You mean you followed Shouyo without knowing where you were heading?” Tadashi laughs. “We’re not too far off from the main square. I’ll go take you to the bus station. It’s just two streets over,”

Kei nodded his thanks. “…What is this place? It looks like it’s straight out of a zombie apocalypse movie,”

“Heh, doesn’t it? This place was supposed to be like a market line of some sort. I don’t really know, but for some reason they abandoned constructing about half of the buildings here,” The brunet talks, gesturing to the line of ruined buildings. “A bunch of other people settled here just like us and the place looked a little less like a construction site,”

Kei doesn’t bother to ask more after that. The blond takes a look around some more, and then back at the building he stepped out of. He was very much still in that neighborhood-of-sorts, with the building as the only thing that seemed to stand on its own properly.

Tadashi lived here? For how long exactly? Who were those people anyway?

“Does it still hurt?” the brunet asks after a few seconds of silence.

“A bit. I’m good,” It was always his answer for everything.

“I’m really sorry about, Shouyo. He’s just— Well— Uh… Impulsive?”

The blond just sighs. “Tell him to never go back to the shop. My manager’s onto him,”

“You’re not going to… report him or something?” Tadashi looks at him.

“I got what he stole at least,” He answers. “That’s enough for now. I’m exhausted,”

A part of the road was blocked by various forgotten construction equipment and bent street signs that made it seem impossible to cross through. Tadashi turns to an alleyway as he puts up his hood, with Kei following close.

Just like what the brunet had said, they weren’t too far off from the main square. In fact, Kei can finally tell exactly which street to turn to that leads back to Kiyoko’s store. It was strange. He didn’t know that part of town even existed and how close it was to his home.

The two part ways, Tadashi gives him a smile before running back to where he came from.

“You’re early today, Tsukishima” Miss Shimizu greets him the moment he steps into the store. She was taking her time assembling the display on the front window. Kei just raises a brow at her, taking a glance at the nearest wall clock. He was actually thirty minutes late to his shift and that made him question if Kiyoko was being sarcastic with him.

“Michimiya said that you came an hour early. Where have you been?”

_An hour early would be undermining it a bit_ , he wanted to say. “Just out to get some air,”

Kiyoko just nods and pads off to another part of the store. The blond quickly makes his way back to the counter where Yui was, exactly where he’d left her.

“What happened?”

Kei just takes his seat and rests his head on the table top as he wordlessly passes the bag to Yui.

“And? Where’s the guy?”

He answers with glare instead and Yui takes the hint. She grins at him after taking a look at the contents of the bag.

“I knew it! I was right!” She triumphantly raises a fist in the air as if she was the one who spent at least four hours running after a thief. “I’ll put these back. Just sit there and take a break,”

“Good. Because you’re taking over my shift. I’m going home,”

He doesn’t really. He stays there until his work ends at four. And surprisingly, so did Yui. After all, she was a woman of her word who treated Kei to an early dinner before they went home that day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know much about Michimiya, so I kinda flunked at writing her ;~; But I've always imagined her a mature character who'll work hard towards her goal, and also gets playful at times! We didn't get to explore Yui's ~*~*mature*~*~ side here, but I do have plans for her in one of the upcoming chapters!
> 
> Maybe. I have a rough idea but mostly I'm just making these up as I go along.
> 
> Once again this chapter is written a bit differently. I hope you're all enjoying the inconsistency lmao. See you all next chapter


	10. Free

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo! So we have a pretty long chapter this week. Or yknow, longer than the last few chapters at least. Today, we delve a little deeper to one of the characters' past! But this isn't the end of it, more about them will be revealed in the next installment!
> 
> Another note: The flashback bits are always italicized in my fics. So. Yeah. You'll get it. Now get on reading!

The days were cold with rain but the nights were a different matter altogether. No soul wandered the street at this hour, each in their warm and humble abode, and the darkness enveloped everything around him like a blanket. Sleeping out in the open like this was a death sentence, even more so whenever the storm of the heavens lasted till after dusk.

The still and unmoving air chilled him to the bone, and he had to stop and retreat to himself to preserve his energy. The man took shelter under a bus stop that was nothing more than a bench under a cover. At least if it ever does rain again, he wouldn’t be as drenched as the last time it happened.

He closes his eyes to rest, his weary mind worrying about everything and nothing at the same time, about his family and about himself. The man smiles at the memory of their liveliness and the bright grins they brought each other. It brought him comfort, but tonight will be another sleepless night for him. He draws his arms around himself and breathes himself warm.

It has been months since he last saw them, since he made the decision to no longer drag them down like the dead weight he is. He couldn’t protect them. He was too weak. It was a belief nailed painfully in the very ground of his mind that he will never be strong enough to provide them with what they needed.

He believes that it was for the best as he never really did have the capacity to support them as much as they had supported each other for years.

And even if he did want to go back to them, he couldn’t possibly do so. He can’t bring himself to face them. It’s been so long. Too long. They may as well have forgotten about him.

Or maybe they haven’t. He doesn’t know which is worse: the possibility that they indeed have forgotten about his existence, or they haven’t forgotten him and the sins of his fragile glass heart at all.

 

* * *

 

_“Hey! Steer clear!” came a loud voice that rang throughout the school corridor._

_Those who loitered about had their attention caught by the short boy as he speeds by on a swivel chair. A few had to scramble out of the way, dropping books and conversations and spewing profanities at the rascal who thought it was a good idea to treat the hallway as a go-kart course._

_But the boy paid them no mind, and instead offered them a loud hearty laugh as he runs his feet on the floor, and boosting himself on the chair faster. There was no way they could get him now; no way can they catch up to him._

_“Oh shit!” He splutters loudly as he tries to halt to a stop. He was nearing the end of the hallway. He leans to the right and was able to brake himself by colliding with the wall, but not before bruising his shoulder in the process._

_The teacher who was in pursuit of the thief who managed to successfully sneak out a swivel chair from the faculty room neared to a close, and the boy spares not another second idling where he is. He curses again under his breath as he immediately gets up to his feet, and with the might of his strong arms, he tows the swivel chair with him and makes a break for the staircase nearby._

_By the time he finishes his descent to the ground floor and out the school doors that lead to the back of the campus, the teacher had already lost all breath and energy. But this rascal was the opposite. This absolute ruffian draws his energy from the people who get pulled into his antics. And he absolutely loves it._

_A number of students came rushing to see what the commotion was all about, and no one was able to do a thing about it. Classes were disrupted as everyone shoved each other to get a view from the windows that lined up the corridor, and boys and girls laughed their asses off at the sight of a fellow student, about a hundred and sixty centimeters tall, mounted on a maroon swivel chair being chased by one of their teachers, who by the way is the well-renowned terror of their school._

_He waves his school blazer like a matador towards the disgruntled and breathless bald adviser, and like the bull they are, they came charging straight forward only to hit the ground when the boy swerves out of their way. His gaze stayed on the defeated pursuer, making sure that they stayed down and knocked out. After a few seconds of staring, the boy triumphantly waves his blazer around like a champ._

__

__

_The witnesses to his grand escapade cheered and laughed and high-fived each other as if they just witnessed the very piece of gold that completed their high school lives._

_On the other hand, Nishinoya Yuu bows in front of his audience with a large shit-eating grin to close his show, and as a victorious treat, he wheels himself out of the school gates on his swivel chair, his classes for the day be damned for another week or so._

 

* * *

 

Whenever they aren’t scouring for their next meal or honing their fists for their next fight, he walked around leisurely in the neighborhood, lost in thought. But most of the time, he would stray away from their home and watch the square, watch movement behind shops and schools because it was always so fascinating to see what kind of lives these people lead.

There was almost always nothing in the ruins he currently lived in, not enough for him to observe at least. And that’s also one of the reasons why he leaves almost every day to let his mind wander as far as his legs can take him.

Yuu had borrowed Tadashi’s jacket before he set out earlier, mainly because it was big and comfortable and it didn’t stink as much as their other clothes. Tadashi always keeps extra care of this jacket in particular for some reason. Nevertheless, it also had a cool insignia of a pair of wings on the back which he thinks is gnarly as hell. So he supposes all that care is worth it.

Usually, he takes his walks alone. But this time, Ryuu accompanied him for reasons disclosed between the two of them. Perhaps there’s really no reason behind it. A person like Ryuunosuke can get bored as well, as far as he’s concerned.

Tanaka Ryuunosuke. They were alike, him and Yuu. Almost eerily so. These two are perfectly coordinated. They might as well have come from the same mother, born twins that can talk to each other via their minds. They might as well finish each other’s sentences too. That’s how alike they are and frankly, it scares Saeko sometimes. But such is life. Yuu had looked up to Saeko as his older sister as well, and the older woman has reached that point in which she found the two’s pseudo-connection a little bit endearing if not outstandingly annoying at times.

Today, they wandered aimlessly to an empty, quiet street. Ryuu walked three steps ahead of him, hands behind his head, his eyes surveying the clouds above and having internal conflicts of his own. The only sound that pierced through the barren road was the bell from a bicycle passing by, and even the bicycle was soon long gone and the street was once again as lifeless as the grey sky.

Sometimes he liked quiet. Sometimes he likes feeling the adrenaline of being free and alive. It was one of those times that he felt rebelling against the tranquility of his surroundings and live a little.

With a smirk, Yuu takes three large steps forward and pushes on Ryuu’s back, making the other stumble a bit in his steps. Yuu runs past him, the grin on his face growing.

He turns to face his confused companion and taunts them with a hand as he walked backwards. Ryuu finally gets it and returns the playful smile. The ponytailed boy turns back to his previous direction, and starts running again.

They’re twenty-something, but they ran down the streets like a couple of boys at the peak of their childhood, playing tag and chasing each other until they’re grasping their breath from laughing too hard. Age was never an issue to Ryuu and he didn’t let it get in the way of having fun. He never even actually kept tabs on his own age, stopped acknowledging it altogether. All he knows is that he’s twenty-something.

Not Yuu though. He remembers exactly how old he is. Yuu’s twenty-two years, eight months, three weeks and eighteen days old. Not that he actually cares, nor does it matter. He runs like he’s still ten, and he’s still as tall as when he was still seventeen.

Ryuu catches up with him, and taps him on his shoulder before he stops and skewers to another direction. He was almost five feet away before Yuu notices. But still, he chases him down and returns the shove.

It was a different street, a different neighborhood, a different part of town every time. But they never failed to get lost in their own little world where the people who would be bothered by their noise ceased to exist. In this world, Yuu could take huff after puff of fresh air, well as far as fresh air would go in a city like Tokyo, and feel free.

He _is_ free. He’s been free for five years now.

He tugs on the band that bound his streaked hair as he runs, and he lets his locks sway with the wind that blew from the direction he headed.

They only slow down to a stop when one of them heaves a breathless plea to surrender. It was Ryuu this time, as always. He always had a hard time matching up to the shorter boy’s stamina.

The two resumes walking, their pace slows to unwind their overworked muscles. They talk for a while, and their chatter dwindles into comfortable silence afterwards. In reality, there’s really not much to talk about. They live together, knows practically there is to know about each other that talking was beyond them.

However, their mundane conversation gets cut off by a sound of a voice, distressed and pained, coming from the end of the street.

It was a girl, frantically fleeing from what seemed to be a man that was roughly half her size. The sight alarmed the both of them.

“I think he’s carrying a knife,” Yuu speaks in a hushed tone as they quickly followed to stalk the two. “We gotta do something,”

Ryuu didn’t need to assure his friend that he is more than on board with rescuing the damsel in distress. He didn’t need a plan either when he stormed over the closed alleyway with Yuu tailing close.

 

* * *

 

_The metallic taste of blood fills his mouth, his senses numbed from the last fist that landed on one side of his face. He couldn't find the strength to even tug his arms free from the restraint of one of the bastards who held him in place, let alone fight back. Yet he offers them a piercing gaze that attempted to tear through their souls after they had silenced him with another strike, and spits the welling blood at their direction._

_The gesture made the person in front of him chuckle lowly, and in a blink, their expression turns dark. They deliver a particularly hard blow to his stomach that forcedly pushed all air out of him, and they finally let Yuu slump to the ground. He wheezed and coughed and grunted in pain, but he kept his body from completely crashing to the ground by planting his knees firmly under him._

_He needed to remind himself why it was still worth fighting these worthless pieces of shit. Yuu directs his gaze to the one he had tried to rescue, her terrified eyes screamed pity and at the same time, they plead for help. He needed to get her out of here, at least buy enough time to let her escape as he distracted their captors for as long as he can._

_Yuu had witnessed a group of rowdy teens harass a girl earlier that day, saw them follow her which made him follow them as well._

_The way they tried to close in on her with their filthy hands was an absolutely disgusting sight. Yuu couldn't control himself anymore as he strode over there to just rip them a fucking new one._

_But sometimes he forgets how small and powerless he really is, especially in front of four ruffians who towered over him like a wall. Before he was even able to get the girl to safety, they had sacked him and taught him a lesson in regards to minding his own damn business._

_He tries to catch his breath one more time, tries to blink the dark spots that had made their way into his vision, before raising himself up to his feet as quick as he can. And he tackles their leader against the nearby wall._

_Yuu was able to shove the other's head on the cemented wall before he was violently pried away by one of their captors. He thrashes around to retaliate against them, making them stumble backwards and bump into the bastard who kept hold of the girl. The commotion made their hold on her loose however, and she was able to break free and make a run for it._

_It was a haze after he finds himself thrown to the ground again, everything blurred by the amount of pain brought to him by numerous kicks. Yuu curled to himself and took it all._

_He didn't know when they stopped, or if they ever did stop at all. They must've stopped at some point because after a while, everything dulled to nothing. He heard nothing but white noise, saw nothing but black and felt nothing else other than cold._

 

* * *

 

“Hey kiddo. How are you holding up?”

Yuu grunts as he sits beside the blonde girl. She jolts up in surprise but eases up almost instantly. Even after a few days of staying with them, she never ceased to lower her guard. Yuu understands more than anything.

She offers a kind smile. “I’m good,” Her attention goes back to the two in front of her.

“How’s your neck?”

“All healed.”

“Did they wake you up? These two can get a little too rough with each other sometimes. Noisy too,”

“Oh no, no. I was… Already awake. I mean— I woke up early to watch them,” Yachi stutters. The boy hums in acknowledgement as he joins her.

They were at it again. He watches Shouyo land strike after strike against Tobio’s open palms covered in gauze and protection. The redhead pauses for a second, shakes the ache out of his left fist, before curling it up and punches at the other’s palm again.

Tobio and Shouyo had a knack for sparring with each other at the break of dawn every morning. The raven-haired boy didn’t look very enthusiastic, unlike his redheaded counterpart. But he still accompanied Shouyo for reasons he didn’t know and didn’t bother knowing.

“Shouyo and Kageyama… Are they…” The girl wonders out loud.

“Hm?”

“Ah—!” She turns with a bashful expression. “No, I mean— I don’t mean it like that! I just— They’re uh…” Yachi looks ahead of her with a fond smile. “They’re very close aren’t they?”

Yuu looked at her with a raised brow, honestly confused at what she was trying to say. But as he follows her gaze to where she gestures to the pair who bickered their hair off, he nods in agreement.

“Yeah. They’ve known each other for a long time,”

Yachi casted her eyes down. And Yuu asks her if she’s alright.

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” She masks with a small laugh.

“Come on, what’s on your mind?” The streak-haired boy pokes her side. She yelps a little and somehow that assures her. “You can tell us what’s bothering you,”

“It’s no bother, that’s for sure. I was just wondering how long have you all been living here…”

“Three years. I think. To be honest, I’m not really sure. It gets confusing when you don’t have watches or even calendars in here,” He laughs. “But yeah. Actually, we’ve been living together way longer than that. We move around a lot,”

Yachi nods. She looks a little less shy now and there was a certain gleam in her eyes that they haven’t seen yet in the few days she has stayed here.

It was Tobio’s turn to pursue Shouyo. He starts with light attacks, a warm up of sorts, and Shouyo blocks them easily and with practiced efforts. Tobio swings his next fist with more force which catches the other off-guard, and Shouyo’s block breaks as he stumbles a few steps to the side.

Yuu watches their every move, and at the side, he sees Yachi gasp at the hit. He laughs.

But the thing about Shouyo is that he may be shit at keeping his defense steady, but damn can the kid move fast.

The redhead seemed to catch on to Tobio’s repetitive movements, and before the next fist came striking at him, he dodges out of the way. The dark-haired boy takes it as a sign to move on to something more complex, and his strikes becomes more varied, slowing and then going fast and slowing down again. Watching them reminded Yuu of an intimate dance, intense, graceful, serious. The two looked certainly coordinated enough.

Yachi seemed to think of the same, as she looked on with amazed eyes.

“I don’t think I’ve properly thanked you and Tanaka-san for saving back there,” She speaks suddenly, catching Yuu’s attention. Her cheeks sported a soft flush. “Um… Thank you. For what you did,”

Yuu just offers back a kind smile. “It’s what we do. It’s nothing,”  He pats her on the back.

“But it’s not just nothing. I can’t even imagine what would’ve happened to me if you two didn’t come to my rescue… And taking me in like this… I’m really grateful to all of you…”  She bows her head in front of him.

“Yachi,” He urges the girl to look at him again. Formality was something none of them are used to at this point. They were all close like that. Yuu talks. “If you don’t mind me asking… Where were you going?”

Yachi was silent for a second. “I don’t know. Anywhere, I guess. I was running away,”

“Oh,” Yuu sits back and says nothing else.

It raised a lot of questions on his mind, yet that single sentence was enough answer to most of it.

 

* * *

 

_“What the hell did you get yourself into this time?”_

_Their voice was hard and sharp-edged. It drummed against his ears and he absolutely hated it. He keeps his gaze casted downwards, keeps his brows knitted in a frown because of he couldn’t control this much of his composure._

_When they get like this, questioning him and pinning him on the spot with their hard gaze, there is no right way. There is no right answer. When they get like this, all Yuu is able to do is stay quiet._

_His father continues to pace in front of him, and continues voicing out his concerns. “First you make a ruckus in school, and then outside of school, and now this?”_

_Yuu doesn’t respond. He sits there with his head low and his hands balled into fists._

_“Do you want to get expelled from another school again, Yuu? I swear to god, I wouldn’t even be surprised if you turned out to become a criminal. I don’t k now what’s wrong with you!”_

_He grits his teeth, scraping the inside of his cheeks. The very words irked him. They burned, they hurt, and he didn’t know which was worse: the fact that they were false or the fact that he couldn’t even defend himself._

_“Do you have no shame for yourself? Do you even know how much of a problem you are to your mother and I?”_

_The boy snaps his head up, and with his own anger finally peaking up over his head, he stands up._

_“You and mom? What the hell do you know!?”_

_“You don’t get to raise your voice on me like that, boy,”_

_“No! You don’t know anything! How can you!? You’re never home! You two are never home! You never listen!”_

_“Oh, is this what it’s about then, Yuu? About attention!? Well you have my full attention now, all that I can afford to give you!” The man basically growls at him. “And you’re being a nuisance!”_

_“And you know what you are?” Yuu steps up, enraged. “Fucking bullshit is what you are!”_

_“How dare you—“_

_Before his father was able to say or do anything else, Yuu had bolted right out of the door and to the streets, with the sound of their voice thundering after him.  He needed to get as far away as he can. He can’t stand breathing the same air as these people._

_He ran and ran and ran, not minding the bone-chilling air that pricked his bare arms like needles. The darkness he blindly stormed into was nothing to him, because even if it was bright as daylight out, he wouldn’t even be able to see anything else with how his tears blurred everything around him._

 

* * *

 

Ryuunosuke moved with the grace of a slender feline, but his steps thudded loudly in weight. He strides to his opponent, connecting a fist to their cheek but the other blocks it off with his arms and the exchange of strikes takes off from there.

He almost never dodges, and takes every hit with blocking it off. Ryuu didn’t need to, because most of the time, it was him who did most of the hitting back, left after right after left until the opponent is left with nothing to do but to stumble back and attempt to hold themselves up. He was slower than Daichi in terms of reaction time, but his strikes were steady, rhythmical. It won him most of his fights.

A sense of pride washes through Yuu as he watched on with gleaming eyes. He knew each and every one of how his way of fighting played out, and even helped Ryuu to better them further. Yuu couldn’t help but grin as the roar of the cheering crowd behind him intensified. This kind of show was what they always wanted to see.

Whenever they had a scheduled fight, he never failed to tag along and witness the dance his companions offered. He’s been to every single one of their matches and even fought in said matches, although not as much as Daichi or Ryuunosuke. He wasn’t as well-built as those two to last more than a round in the ring.

He appreciated the adrenaline it brought though. It was refreshing in its own straining way. So even though he can’t bring himself to compete underground like Daichi and Ryuu, he settled with training Tobio and Shouyo for matches like these. It’s only a matter of time until they’re both ready.

One more piercing strike from Ryuu and his opponent came stumbling back down on the floor. One half of the crowd cheered, and the other half booed. Who made which noise didn’t matter, the collective sound of it all blurred when it reached Yuu’s ears anyway. Beside him, Saeko had a smile that matched his. They gave each other a celebratory fist pump when they met gazes.

Their spar lasted for another three rounds, and Ryuu brings the last round home before the bell broke up their fight. Ryuu sported a bruise on his left cheek, and the rest adorned his forearms. Despite looking all battered up and worn out, he didn't look as tired as one would expect.

The adrenaline he felt while watching the fight wears off a little while after they finally went back up to the surface. Yuu felt tired, sleepy, and he realized that the sun has long arisen. It must've been noon already, judging by how high the sun was up.

It shone down on them, but the clouds that brought them shade made everything look so chilly. It was going to rain that day. He's already calling it.

"You alright, man?" He pats Ryuu as they sat together and Koushi starts patching him up.

His friend scoffs. "Easy peasy,"

"You got knocked off your ass at the second round," Koushi cuts in, sporting a smile of his own.

"So? I won didn't I?"

The ashen-haired man just shakes his head and Yuu says another "congrats" before leaning against the wall to stare off somewhere. He really did feel tired after all that, even though it was Ryuu who did the punching. Just seeing all of that energy, in and out the ring, it drained him a bit.

It was weird. He wonders sometimes when it started; when he started to let lively voices and crowded gatherings take its toll on him. It usually wasn't like this. Maybe he's just tired. Yeah.

Yuu just stares on ahead, thinking about the things he had missed.

                    

School. His old friends. He wonders where they are now, what they’re doing at this very moment, what are they doing for a living. He wonders if one of them ever ended up like him. Probably not. They all had promising futures.

He wonders if he regrets his decisions up so far. No. He doesn’t.

His parents? No, he doesn’t miss them. He wouldn’t go back to them even if they were the last people on this fucked up world he lives in. He’s sure that they certainly don’t miss him. They’re probably out celebrating his departure every single day since the day he left.

But either way, he feels numb towards it all. He doesn’t care. What matters to him is what’s happening now, what his life is now, not his life before.

What about… Him? The one who left a few months ago due to fear. Yuu wasn’t the only one missing him. But what does he know? If there was someone who knew him better than he did, it would be Daichi and Koushi.

He closes his eyes and sighs.

“…Gotta hand it to your boys, Miss Tanaka. They really stood up in there. I’m impressed,”

He picks up bits and pieces of the conversation happening just nearby, tries his best to process something else other than the faint bitterness he feels towards something he would rather just forget.

“Would’ve been better if you had that other guy though. What happened to him?”

Yuu turns a head at the two adults having their talk. He goes unnoticed.

“Who?” Saeko asks.

“You know, the one—“ The man gestures with his hands before adjusting the cigarette that rested between his lips. “Big and burly. That guy was a real knocker. Such a shame he held back most of the time,”

He knew exactly who they were talking about. Saeko doesn’t answer. The man keeps talking.

“Haven’t seen him in months. Did he choke or something? Or did you finally find a replacement for him?”

“No,” Yuu’s deep and threatening voice cuts the two off. “We don’t replace anyone in this group,”

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t talking to you,” The other spits out. Saeko still doesn’t attempt to answer and nor did Koushi or Ryuu who sat there suddenly sucked up in their exchange.

“We _don’t—_ “ Yuu looks at him with a glare. He punctuates every word that leaves his mouth. “Replace. Asahi. With anyone else,”

The alleyway where they were suddenly felt too cramped and too stuffy and Yuu felt nothing more than the need to make himself scarce.

He storms away from the place as fast as he can, with no destination in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's Nishinoya Yuu, everybody! This wayward child of mine. He makes me cry sometimes. To be honest, all of them in the gang are wayward in their own way. It's only a matter of time till we slowly unravel what made them unruly in the eyes of society, their peers, and even in their own views. So. Yep that's it. Hah. Go figure.
> 
> Also!! The first part is actually a little preview of the next chapter! I'm sure you get who will be joining us next after the last words from Yuu ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> Alright, I ain't gonna say anything more! I hope this chapter made things a little more interesting huhuuuu..... ;_; I still wonder sometimes if I'm even pacing this story right. But heyyy thank you all so much for the feedback! They soothe my old lady heart. Keep being hip!


	11. Strength

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hi wow this chapter is like.... worth two chapters. It's 6k long lol.
> 
> Just a little head's up: Some heavy themes down there, not too heavy. Yeah, not really. But you never know. Now go on reading.

_Whether Nishinoya Yuu was attracted to trouble or vice versa, it was still up for debate to this day. Either way, it was all pinned to being entirely his fault._

_Even though it wasn’t._

_It was one moment that shattered his already broken life to pieces. The only fault he made was stand in the wrong place at the wrong time._

_Yuu took his time strolling on his way to school that day, blazer only draping his back as it hung loosely from his shoulders. It didn’t matter how slow he was going. He was already late for first period anyway. He was contemplating whether or not he should just skip classes that day, and wherever should he go should he decide to go through with his plan of slacking off._

_He took an even longer route to school, past a narrow back alley in between neighboring houses that leads to an open space. There was an open lot at the left side of the road, nothing more than a really huge patch of grass decorated with discarded cans and bottles. The road straight ahead leads uphill, and at his right there was a family pawnshop that didn’t open till 12PM every day._

_Or at least, it shouldn’t be, if his memory serves him correctly. He goes through this path most days of the week. He should know._

_The pawnshop’s door was wide open, yet that wasn’t the factoid that raised ringing alarms in his head. When Yuu noticed that most of the displays on the shop’s battered and broken front window have disappeared, he took it upon himself to investigate further._

_It was pitch black in the shop when he entered, and he relied solely on the light that came with him from outside the door. The light switches were no use, the lightbulbs has strangely been shattered and Yuu hears the crunch of glass as he steps on them. It was dark, yes, but it didn’t take long for Yuu to realize that the glass shelves had also been broken and the contents inside were long gone._

_His heart rate increases by each step he takes. It only jumped higher when he hears a pained moan coming from behind the counter. Yuu stops momentarily, and after an instant of comprehension, he immediately runs towards the source of the sound._

_There at the floor, was the old man that usually manned the counter of the pawnshop. Yuu only remembers the old geezer vaguely as he’d only been to his shop once to check out some cool watches he had seen on display. He remembers them by their kind and welcoming smile—_

_—Not by the blood that oozed out of their head._

_“Oh god…”_

_Yuu drops to his knees in horror, and he crawls to scoop the poor elderly man in his arms. They felt limp and heavy in Yuu’s hold, and he shook at the realization that they felt cold. Too cold._

_“Somebody…. Somebody help..! Oh god….” Yuu raises his voice, and tears pooled at the corner of his eyes. But it was all for naught. This part of town was scarce of people. Nobody would hear him._

_He could leave the old man to get help, but he couldn’t. Yuu desperately wanted to tow him out of the store and drag him to the nearest hospital._

_Yuu’s hold on the old geezer’s seemingly lifeless body only tightened, his tears now flowing like a waterfall down his cheeks. He’s never been more terrified in his entire life._

_“Please…. Please! Somebody help!” he tries to yell._

_The blunt force that greeted the back of his head was unprecedented, and Yuu blacked out before he could make out the voices that drew near._

_His senses faded in and out, sounds muffled, vision blurred, skin stung against the asphalt. How long had he been out, he didn’t really know exactly. The first thing that greeted Yuu when he came to was the sun high up and glaring at him from above._

_He tried sitting up, much to his throbbing head’s despair. Yuu felt nauseous, confused and it took every ounce of his energy to limp out of the place. Turns out, he wasn’t very far from where he was previously. He was still at the shop, at the back of the establishment actually._

_And he was greeted by an ambulance and a couple of police cars._

_“Hey you!” He turns to the man, garbed in police wear, who yells at him. “What are you doing here?”_

_Poor, confused Nishinoya Yuu’s first instinct was to guiltily stumble backwards at the sight of a figure of authority. And the boy’s actions just made the blond officer just jump to his feet, causing a chain reaction to Yuu bolting towards the other direction._

_He doesn’t make it for another three feet until Yuu trips on his feet, out of fatigue, and the policeman catches up to him. The fall pushes the poor boy off the edge, and tears welled up in his eyes._

_“Fuckin’ rascal. Just where do you think you’re going?” The policeman binds the boy’s wrists with a pair of cuffs and hauls him up. Yuu on the other hand, tries to keep it all in, curl up to himself, but doesn’t retaliate from the man further. He could only take so much physical pain._

_“Takinoue!” Another voice catches the policeman’s attention. “Go easy on him! He’s injured!”_

_Yuu feels a hand on his face. The moment his eyes opened to survey what the other person looked like, the tears he had been keeping in streaks messily down his cheeks. The other policeman, with brown curly hair and glasses, looked vaguely alarmed._

_“Let’s take him to the medic first,” The bespectacled cop decides as he pushes his lenses up his nose._

_“And then?” The blond one raises a brow at him._

_“And then we’ll take him in for questioning,”_

* * *

 

He ran.

Even though his lungs burned and his limbs ached, he ran. Even if his legs threatened to give up on him just like everyone whom he thought cared for him, he ran. Even when his eyes watered with grief and pain and the tears that fell served as a trail to where he has been last, he ran.

Yuu has always been a rebel at heart. The agony brought to him by his own exertion just made him retaliate further.

 _You can't tell me what to do. You can't tell me what to feel._ He says over and over. He yells in his head.

He had to cease his running sooner or later however. At which point he slowed down to a halt, it didn't matter. And so did where he ended up. Yuu only vaguely remembers where he is. It was a park, not very near from where the event took place but not too far either. Trees and bushes that appeared green in springtime were tainted with blue in favor of the clouds. Despite the time, very few people loitered about at the grounds in fear of an incoming storm.

The smell of fresh water fills his lungs, his tears long dried, and the world still spun in his vision. But otherwise, he had spent the last of his energy and is very much ready to pass out then and there.

He stares ahead at the lake before him. The water looked serene, undisrupted, _refreshing_. Yuu felt the need to jump in it and get lost for a moment. Just a moment. But he doesn’t. Instead, he sits at the top of the fence that stood as a border between him and the body of water.

Sometimes he thinks he should turn down his emotions a bit, control himself from bursting out his rage and lashing out on the nearest person. Ryuu had fondly referred to him as someone who gets too fired up for his own good.

But he can’t help it. It’s been months.

For how long Yuu had stayed there sitting on that fence, he didn’t really know exactly. He was only pulled out from his longing by a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey, man,” Came Ryuu’s voice from behind him. “There you are,”

“Oh,” Yuu spares him a look. “Hey,”

“You alright? You just… bolted right outta there,”

“Nothing. I’m just having a mood right now,” Yuu lies through his teeth.

Ryuunosuke stays quiet for a little while, admiring the view of the lake before he speaks again. “You can talk to me about anything. You know that right?”

He wasn’t very notable for the times he made himself open and approachable, but Ryuu did have his moments of sincerity. Before he was a fighter, he was a friend. Yuu appreciated that. He felt like he could confide in Ryuu with anything.

And so he does. He speaks of his woes that he hasn’t admitted in while, not even to himself.

“I miss him, Ryuu…” He says with a sigh as he hangs his head low. “…I miss Asahi,”

The other’s silence was meant for him to press on, to pour his aching heart out until it no longer hurt. Ryuu leans forward on the fence, propping himself with his elbows.

Yuu’s fists clenches around the wood. “…Just where the hell is he..?”

His friend doesn’t reply, as if he knew the answer anyway. But Yuu looked at him as if he did, and there was a certain pain in his eyes that Ryuu never learned to get accustomed to.

“I…I don’t…”

Yuu just sighs and shallowly shakes his head. Who is he kidding anyway? He needed to stop himself before he gets irrationally angry at someone who didn’t deserve it.

“I’m taking a walk,” He says as calmly as possible, but his voice still wavered against his will. “Just go home with Suga and Saeko. I’ll catch up with you later,”

“Noya—“

“I _need_ to be alone right now, Ryuu,”

He lets the other walk away, almost didn’t want him to with how Yuu drew his arms to himself and somehow, it made him appear much smaller.

 

* * *

 

_His mind was in a haze as fatigue clipped away at the last of his energy. He couldn’t even find the strength to keep his eyes open or his head upright. It was like he was stuck in a dream— no, he was stuck in a nightmare more like it._

_Because Nishinoya Yuu may be a rascal at heart, but never once in his life would he even think about doing something that would result to him sitting in the interrogation room of a police station. Never._

_“Nishinoya?” He ignores the voice. He wants to be alone, take time to clear his head of the images he had seen that day.”Nishinoya,”_

Just stop it. Please. Please stop talking. I don’t want to hear anymore. I just want to go home. Please, let me go home. Please. I’m tired. Please. _He wanted to yell._

_“Yuu—“_

_“Hey, kid, we’re talking to you,”_

_“Takinoue, please—“_

_The sound of the door opening and then closing back with a click cuts through the two officers’ conversation._

_“Shimada. Takinoue. I’ll take it from here,” Yuu remembers that voice._

_The one called Shimada exits the room, but Takinoue stays by the door. Another officer, shorter in height, takes a seat in front of him._

_“Hello,” He says. His voice was soothing, in contrast to the day Yuu has been having so far. “I’m Officer Takeda. Your name is…  Nishinoya Yuu. Am I correct?”_

_Yuu doesn’t answer. Instead, he looks up to both of them from under his hair thrown in disarray._

_“You are… Eighteen years old,” The bespectacled officer from earlier skims through a folder as he speaks. “You go to Akahana High. We have your ID right here,”_

_The boy glances down the card, his card, with disinterest before staring back up at the cop._

_“We found this ID in your school blazer. The one we picked up from the crime scene. Do you know what else we found in your blazer?”_

_The brunet policeman finally catches his attention and he tilts his head up for the other to press on with the details._

_“Three watches. Which match with the description of the missing items from the pawnshop,” Yuu’s eyes widened a bit. It was the officer’s turn to stare at him intently._

_Yuu only grits his teeth. He knew where all of this is going. He’s quick to defend himself._

_“I didn’t steal anything,”_

_“What were you doing in that pawnshop at 8:27 in the morning, Nishinoya? If I’m correct, classes in Akahana start at seven,”_

_“Just let me go. I’m innocent. I didn’t steal anything,”_

_“Give it a rest, kid,” Takanoue pipes up from the door. “We have witnesses that saw a group of brats around your age loitering around the pawnshop at that time of the day. Wearing uniform like yours too,”_

_“No… That’s not—“_

_“I’m sorry, Nishinoya,” Takeda turns to him with a sympathetic look. “But with the witness reports and the time we found you at the site, it’s not hard to think that you’re an accomplice,”_

_“Bullshit!”_

_“Hey! Watch your mouth! And we found the stolen things from your jacket. Just admit it already,”_

_“I was just passing by,” Yuu forces out of his dry throat. “The shop looked ransacked from outside so I went to check and… Oh god…” He put a hand to his mouth to repress the urge to chuck bile right on that table. “…The old man… Where is he? What happened to him!? Oh my god…”_

_“He’s fine,” Takeda reassures him. “He’s currently in intensive care. But he hasn’t woken up so we can’t draw out any other evidence—“_

_“Just let me go!” Yuu cried out, his shaking fists banging on the table._

_“Oi! Fucking brat. It’s no use talking to him, Takeda. I’m locking him up until we get more information,”_

_Yuu felt the restraint on his wrists tighten and he was once again being hauled up against his will, steered out of the room as he thrashes for his freedom._

_The uncertainty of what awaited him out of that door absolutely terrified him._

* * *

 

Time alone did little to him if anything at all.

Why did they have to speak about Asahi like that anyway? Stupid fucking piece of shit. They had no fucking right. They didn’t know Asahi as much as he did, as much as Koushi and Daichi did.

Sometimes he wonders how the two fared with Asahi’s disappearance. They knew him the longest, especially Daichi. They looked okay, they still did their duties, and they looked unaffected of it all. But if the first few weeks were anything to pass by at all, Yuu wouldn’t believe the façade the two had set up.

They must have been hurting too.

Yuu wasn’t sure what to do anymore. Maybe he should just go home, sleep. Staying out all night because of Ryuu’s match was enough of an excuse so no one would bother him. He was better off this way anyway.

He needs to face facts. They were never coming back at this point.

Yet Yuu was never one to get deterred from hope. He always fought. He always believed. He always pressed onwards.

He could almost laugh at how much he saw Asahi in everything. There was this one time he had mistaken a poor old man for him, and grabbed their clothes to make sure the light wasn’t playing any more tricks. Alas, it once again did and Yuu was left with the feeling of bitter disappointment.

At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if it happens again, when he passes by a group of people.

Or was he really mistaken? Yuu stops from his walk.

 

                    

                    

 

“Asahi..?”

His legs seem to move on their own accord, his eyes focused only on one person. Yuu sidestepped on the people who passed by, who just seem to came out of nowhere when momentarily, he could’ve sworn that he was the only living soul in that street. It didn’t matter. Sidestepping turning into Yuu gently shoving a number of people away.

Yuu took note of their hunched over frame, like they were trying to close in on themselves for being too tall and catching everybody’s attention. Their brown locks draped their shoulder, unruly and thin and greasy. Yuu’s pace increases in speed.

But was it really him? Could he be mistaken again? Asahi… Yuu wanted to call out to him.

Asahi.

_Asahi!_

The very sound of his name slips past Yuu’s lips, and to his surprise, the man whose back was turned to him perks up at the call.

But they don’t turn. They only stood there.

And then they promptly walk away. Yuu spends no more than a second to follow them. He’s sure of it this time. It was him. It was Asahi. He can’t be mistaken. _He can’t be._

They immediately turn to a corner, their pace increasing. It wasn’t until they were back at the very front of the park where Yuu was beforehand that the boy finally had enough. They passed by the lake he was at before. Ryuu was no longer there. He presumes that his friend had gone home like he had told him.

 _“Azumane Asahi!”_ He barks. The other stops abruptly in their tracks.

They didn’t change one bit. They still wore the same scared expression in their face when they felt threatened, still stood in the same damn way that made him look like he was too tense for his own good. It had only been a few months, but Yuu oddly expected _something_ to change. But nothing did. He was glad.

But also very mad.

Upon seeing the man’s face, Yuu reaches for the nearest rock and throws it towards the other. Asahi flinches out of the way. “You absolute fucking _asshole_!”

Asahi just stood there, shoulders raised to his ears and eyes closed, bracing himself to one hell of a storm coming right at him.

Said storm stomps straight towards him like he had anticipated, and curls his fists on his clothes. But Yuu just proceeds to shake him. Asahi seriously expected something more violent and something more along the lines of physical hurting, because even with their graceful height difference, Yuu never failed to intimidate him.

“You… I can’t believe you… You disappear for what? Like eight months!? And then you try to pretend to walk by me just like that!? You don’t do that, Asahi! Fuck you!”

He lets the other rant his rage out. He deserved it after all. “Where the fuck have you been, you piece of shit!? Where…”

 

                    

                    

                    

 

Asahi’s arms around him were warm, it was the comfort Yuu desperately craved and needed. Even though these arms belonged to the one who bought him his pain in the first place.

He sniffs, and buries his head on the man’s chest as he circles his own arms around their waist. His outburst left him shaking, and Yuu would’ve denied it if Asahi ever questions him if he was crying. But they didn’t. Actually, they haven’t uttered a single word.

“Say something… You overgrown dummy… I hate you…” Yuu mutters, refusing to look Asahi in the eyes.

The voice that came after a while felt distant and dream-like and Yuu was afraid that maybe he had fallen asleep somewhere and it was all just in his head. But the hand that smoothed over his hair kept him grounded and sane.

“I’m sorry, Noya,”

“Why…? Why did you…?”

“I was… Scared,” Asahi pulls away. There was certain seriousness in his eyes that made Yuu listen to whatever it is he said when he pulls it. “I couldn’t do much for you guys. I’m... Too weak. You don’t need someone who would drag you all down like this,”

“That’s not true. You know that,”

“I lost too many matches. Saeko was losing more money that she was earning because of me. And it was affecting all of you. The least I could do is make sure you didn’t have another useless mouth to feed,”

“She would never look at you like that. None of us would. You’re not useless to us, Asahi,”

“Yuu—“

“The only thing you did wrong—“ Yuu glares at him silent. “—Was leave us!”

And silent Asahi was.

“Did you even think about what the others felt when you left? I can’t believe you would do that to Daichi and Suga! I thought they were your brothers! Why would you leave them like that…”

Each word stabbed a stake through his aching heart. Had he actually been selfish like that?

Maybe he had been. Maybe he was wrong this entire time. The fact that he left so suddenly grew into a mistake of its own and that was what Asahi failed to realize.

“And you… left me. I’ve been looking all over for you even though the others were certain that you’d be back on your own. Eight months, Asahi…. Eight fucking months… I know you think of yourself like that, but you’re still our family, damn it and you belong _here_. With us. We would never…. We would never think that you’re useless… or weak… or… or…”

Yuu trembled in his hold, his form shook with his tears. He has been hurting this boy for way too long. He’s been hurting everyone for way too long.

“Yuu, I— I’m sorry—“

“No,” Yuu shakes his head and wipes the mess off his face. “You already apologized to me. Save it for the others,”

It was as if the tears had washed away the pain and exhaustion from Yuu’s clouded eyes, and Asahi can see himself in them again. Yuu takes his hand, tugging him along as he starts walking, and then running.

“I’m taking you home,”

 

* * *

 

_He felt like he should be doing far more effort than this. They depended on him and his wins. The last thing he needed was reluctance in the ring, because mercy didn't win his fights._

_It was an insecurity he had. With a body as large as his and with the physical strength he possessed, Asahi should achieve more. At least that was what he has been telling himself in hopes of pushing his self-confidence further. Because so far, he wasn't so impressed with himself._

_It wasn't like he was embarrassed to ask Yuu for help in training. Not at all. It was far from that, in fact. He felt honored the moment Yuu said yes, with eyes bright with enthusiasm and energy paralleled by no other. Asahi hasn't seen the boy so alive before. Not after what happened to him._

_Yuu's strikes were raw, filled with force that would knock down even the sturdiest fighters. Not to mention such strength complemented by his agility made him a jarring opponent in the ring. A natural born fighter if he ever did see one. Keeping up with them was a challenge at first, something he got used to with constant training sure, but Yuu grew with him and every time they sparred, the boy never failed to catch him off-guard at least once. Asahi dared not to question where Yuu learned to fight like he does, though he was aware of the boy's notoriety for being caught up with trouble back then. Perhaps it was what kept him from asking._

_The feeling of accomplishment washes through him the moment he realizes that he had finally bested Yuu in one of their spars. And the boy who laid on the ground, out of breath and defeated, gave him nothing but a grin that screamed of pride and joy. It overwhelmed Asahi._

_"Do you think Yuu's ready? For a match I mean," he finds himself asking Saeko once. The older woman gave him a thoughtful look, and then a smile._

_"I'll think about it. He seems up for it," the two spare a glance at the said boy who was playing punchies with Ryuu. The childish sight made Asahi stifle a laugh. "I've seen you and him train a lot lately. I'm impressed by your improvement, Azumane,"_

_"It's nothing..." Asahi scratches the back of his head. "I wouldn't have done it without him,"_

_"Noya would say the same,"_

_And at that, Saeko walks off to break Yuu and her brother off from each other as they bickered, leaving the brunet man to sort his thoughts gone floating in the wind._

_He didn't understand what Saeko meant, until he saw it for himself _—_ when Yuu was granted his first match under their group's name._

_The opponent was of average build, but seemed quite huge in comparison to Yuu's height. But the wild-haired boy was anything but intimidated. There was a fire in his eyes, a flame burning bright that sparked something in the man who stood watch from outside the ring. He only had a moment to notice it, before the bell rang and Yuu immediately jumped to action._

_The match moved all too quickly, but Asahi was able to catch every move, every strike, every dodge Yuu did in order to best his opponent. It was as if time slowed itself to savor this very moment that made Yuu feel absolutely golden, a truce of sorts from the universe for throwing this boy into a cluster of misfortune for the most of his eighteen years of living, and Asahi felt honored having to witness this. The smile on the boy's face was wicked, and the very sight was like a predator playing with its food before ultimately ending its misery._

_Left hook, right hook, he shifts to the left, lands a strike to the other's right ribcage, and then ducks as a fist flew by his head. Three more fists to the opponent's underside, Yuu miscalculates and leaves an opening where the other breaks through. Despite the stinging punch that rendered Yuu stunned for a second at most, his terrifyingly captivating smile only grows wider. Yuu spits the blood out of his mouth. He moves again. Asahi's heart pounds on his chest out of adrenaline._

_In a very few daring minutes, Yuu finishes the other off with a fatal uppercut and the crowd absolutely roars after being on the edge of their seat for about twelve minutes. His opponent falls to the ground with deafening thud; at least it was to Asahi, being too close to the ring._

_And in that moment, when Yuu held his gauze-wrapped fist in the air like the champ he is and his gaze immediately finds Asahi's, the brunet man finally understood what Saeko meant._

_'I couldn't have done this without you' their eyes seemed to say, bright and glowing like the proud grin he used to close the show._

_'I want to be strong like you' he wanted to say back, but for now Asahi settled with giving the victor a smile of his own, mirroring the other._

 

* * *

 

Everybody was speechless, needless to say.

He stood under their gazes, disbelief written boldly across their faces. Honestly, Asahi was expecting them to immediately kick him out of their house, spew profanities at him the same way Yuu did just earlier that day.

But it didn’t come. What greeted him instead was a hand on each of his shoulders, Daichi glaring at him and Koushi looking like he might tear up at the sight of their old friend finally back from the dead.

The two pull him into a big embrace and Asahi’s heart couldn’t feel any fuller and lighter of woes.

Shouyo makes a sound that was a mix of a wail and a cheer as he jumps in on the hug, pulling Tobio and Natsu with him, and the sight made Ryuu want to be a part of it too. Chikara pats him on the back, only to get pulled by Ryuu in their mosh of a group hug and Saeko ruffles Asahi’s head, a simple fond gesture that meant so much to the man.

Yes. This was his family indeed. Even if he screwed up, they had always been there to welcome him back once he had picked himself up on his own.

After Tadashi introduces the newest addition to their family, Yachi, Yuu strides over to where Asahi stood. The two rested against the broken walls of their home as they watched everyone bustle around the household, as lively as the time Asahi had left it.

“You’re not useless, you know. Get it through that thick head of yours,” Yuu says with a stern tone. Asahi laughs.

“Yeah,”

“I mean it. I should know,” Yuu’s gaze turns distant. “You were the one who picked me up, remember? That time when I walked out of that police department after I got disowned by my dad,”

He does. He remembers it clearly, remembers _that_ broken boy clearly.

“I wouldn’t be here, living with you guys, if it weren’t for you,”

Asahi’s smile only grows wider. Honestly, he didn’t deserve this kind of endearment from this lot who loved with all of their hearts.

 

* * *

 

_Yuu used to think that he could take on the world with his strength alone, that his life was on the very tip of his fingertips ready to be manipulated by his will. He certainly had the confidence. That was all he needed. It didn't matter what others thought of him or what they muttered about him behind his back._

_Because he was strong, he was keen, and above all, he was kind. He knew himself better than anybody who would give a rat's ass about his petty existence._

_Over the short few months he had made himself a part of their pack, all of that dwindled down _—_ slowly, painfully _—_ until Yuu felt smaller than a speck of dust. He felt free of his initial worries, yet he was imprisoned by something worse. _

_Yuu imprisoned himself._

_Until he believed that he was never really strong to begin with._

_He didn't just look small; he felt small, an ant that was nothing to the huge wide world. Sometimes this unfair comparison overwhelmed him, and he would find himself finally getting conscious of the things he lacked._

_He wasn't nearly as big as Daichi, nor was he as intimidating as Ryuu made himself appear. He was nothing like Koushi who offered a kind smile and a healing hand to those who were in need. And certainly, he was far from Saeko who led them and brought them together despite of their differences._

_Truly, he indeed felt small in comparison to these individuals. These were now the people he followed, but who was he to them?_

_He felt like a drag— dead weight that shouldn't be dragging this family down under the dirt in spite of being down under the dirt already._

_That time back in Miyagi, when Yuu was hurting and hopeless and at his lowest, back when Ryuu still didn’t know how to be a friend to him, he looked up to one of these people who gave him a chance._ _They had a certain strength Yuu admired, and a weakness he empathized with. This man felt like his equal, despite being at least twenty-five centimeters taller._

_He sees him in that ring, fighting with what he has, and Yuu is vaguely reminded of the action movies he used to watch— the ones that made his blood pumping and steals the excitement right out of his lungs. Except now, when he watches him move around, he was rendered speechless._

_They were truly the one that awakened something in him, something he knew he once had._

_“I… I want to be as strong as Asahi someday,”_

_He says under his breath, lost in the sea of endless cheers._

 

* * *

 

"Noya-san?"

Yuu finally blinks back to his own reality after Shouyo's third try of reeling him in. He turns a tired eye towards the boy and pitches in a smile in an attempt to look a little more welcoming. The last thing he needed was to scare off the kid.

"Are you alright?" Shouyo asks as he sits down beside him.

His eyes starts drooping low again, but he tries to keep awake. In his futile attempt at keeping himself conscious though, he forgot to answer Shouyo's question.

"Noya-san—“

"Sorry," Yuu speaks again. "I'm just tired. I haven't had much sleep. Rough day, you know?"

He yawns as if to prove his statement and Shouyo just smiles.

"Why don't you go to bed? You really need it,"

"Yeah," Yuu just sighs, running a hand through his hair. "What do you have there?"

"This—?" The redhead shows a hardbound book. It looked heavy and a bit tattered up. "I found it somewhere. I thought I could give it to you but it looks too big..."

Shouyo hands the book to Yuu, and the older boy flips mindlessly through it. It didn't really feel as heavy as it looked. The imprinted words were a bit faded and washed out but nevertheless, it danced around his vision. But whatever it said completely went past Yuu's tired and clouded mind.

"I was trying to read it but..." Shouyo trails off. There was a crestfallen look in the boy's eyes, something Yuu was definitely used to seeing when it came to others, but never to Shouyo.

Yuu closes the book momentarily to pad off somewhere else. He settles on leaning against one side of the broken walls of their home, gesturing for the younger boy to sit beside him. Shouyo takes a look at the contents of the book with interested eyes as he makes himself comfortable.

"So, where did you stop reading?" He always found time when Shouyo asked for his help. But the latter seemed reluctant most of the time, embarrassed even.

Shouyo reached over to flip to a page, squinting as he tried to skim through the text and then points at a sentence.

"I... Uh..." The younger boy scratches his head. "Had trouble reading this one character,"

Yuu hums as he reads the said character, and then takes his time rereading the sentence.

"It means strength. Or something like that,"

"Oh. Thanks Noya-san,"

Yuu leaves the boy to continue his reading, and he sits back to just watch him and maybe rest for little while.

"Hey, Noya?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever feel like you're too small?" Shouyo asks, his voice low and almost unheard. His eyes kept from steering away from the words of his paperback.

Yuu squints at him with an amused smile. He raises a hand on top of Shouyo's head and then lowers it back to his own, measuring them both. The redhead huffs a laugh. The two were indeed a couple of centimeters off of each other, with Yuu being at the shorter end.

"Sometimes I do," Yuu replies seriously this time.

"I don't know... I feel like an ant sometimes. Everything and everyone is too big for me. Y'know that feeling? It's like _—_ " Shouyo makes a gesture with his hand, a pout on his lips. " _—_ Like that. Ah, I can't explain it,"

"An ant, huh..."

"Yeah," The younger boy looked crestfallen at his own words. "I feel... Insignificant. Weak. Do you think Natsu thinks I'm strong enough for her?"

"You're her big brother. Of course, she thinks that,"

Shouyo smiles at him. But he didn't look convinced. The two stare off at the gray reality in front of them, the broken walls unfinished and the nimbus that covered the sun's warm grace made everything a little more sullen.

Seeing this boy in front of him, this boy who had enough life in his eyes for the both of them and more, doubt himself felt wrong to him. It was like a crime to see Shouyo so distressed.

Yuu found himself comparing his very self to Shouyo once. Despite what that boy's life has been so far, what he grew out of, he was able to put it all behind him and put his best face forward for the sake of himself and his sister. Yuu wished he was a little more like Shouyo.

"Let me tell you something about ants, Shou," Yuu sits up and faces the boy, said boy perking up at the energy present on the other's previously tired voice. "They're tiny, sure. But did you know that an ant can carry something that's like, five hundred times worth its own weight?"

There was a spark in Shouyo's eyes. "Really?"

"Or was that five thousand? But really. They're that strong," Yuu had a thoughtful look, he smiles. "And it's true. You are like an ant, Shouyo. Small, yes. Annoying, sometimes," The two laugh.

Yuu looks at the younger boy seriously. "But not insignificant. You're strong. Stronger than anybody who tells you otherwise,"

"...Even me?"

"Yes. You're stronger than you,"

“Wow,” Shouyo leans back on the wall, now staring up at the cool sky with fond eyes. "Ants are cool,"

"Yeah,"

"You're cool too, Noya-san,"

It was Yuu’s turn to smile. He feels light, and he falls asleep there on the crummy floor with Shouyo as company. Not that he minded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to experiment on the art for this chapter, so that explains why the first two looked different from the other three. Eheh... Sorry. But hey, I figured out which drawing style feels right for this fic! 
> 
> Hah, that ended quite adorably, huh? Tbh, this is the first time I've written something for asanoya, and even here it's not really shippy??? But ayyyy, I did it. It's like an accomplishment or something. I hope I pinned their characters properly though... Especially Nishinoya. I made his temperamental side is a bit more prominent in this AU.
> 
> Anyhoohah, it's time to get back to plot! But I do encourage all of you to drop some suggestions on what you'd like to see more in this fic! Ideas, headcanons, anything! Even characters (even though there's already so many of them. Seriously. Basically everyone has a place in this AU. Everyone.)!
> 
> Thank you all for reading! See you all in the next chapter, and I hope y'all enjoyed the tiny asanoyas :^)


	12. Melody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back to Tsukki's pov. This chapter is fairly short-- hhhhh.
> 
> Get on reading now~

The skin on his hands had turned wrinkly from being soaked with water. After setting the last of the dishes aside to let it dry, he wrings his hands before grabbing the nearest towel to dry himself off. The soggy waste that accumulated from the chore was a disgusting sight and he quickly shoved the lot of it in a plastic bag before the smell turned putrid. This wasn’t his favorite chore to do, but with his brother gone to work for the day, no one else but him was present to suffer through it.

They only washed the dishes and cooked their meals on different points of the day, because nobody really had the time to stay at home and do something beyond their usual routine.

Since the start of his break however, he’s done nothing but laze around the house right after he gets home from work.

He decides to do something a little different this week. Today, he’ll try to clean up the apartment. It was the distraction he needed. And dwelling on it for the sake of his roommate, he admits that it would be a nice thing to go home to.

He plugs in his phone to the living room stereo, takes his time choosing a playlist to match the mellow afternoon light, something to keep him in decent spirits while he continues with his duties.

The melodic sound of guitars fills the air, and a voice reminiscent to that of a whisper followed as accompaniment. He doesn’t really know the lyrics to this one. It was one of those songs that he just picked out of nowhere one day because the feel of it was something he felt a connection to, that and the words were in another language. He has no trouble understanding it of course; he just doesn’t have it memorized by heart.

After making sure he had swept the floors right, he sits in front of the television to organize the albums his brother had left astray.

He had no intention of going through them, probably best if he didn’t, but his hands just moved on its own to open one of it up.

The photos were nothing short of fading out already. But even when the edges had been long washed away by time, he could still make out smiling faces and happy remembrance, although just like his eyesight, they were all blurred in memory. He opens the box where they kept the books and works on sorting them out by year.

He opened one of the albums from when he was still a newborn and when his brother was seven. The resemblance between young Akiteru and himself was so uncanny and you could put a picture of them in which they were the same age side by side and you would think that they’re twins. The only thing that differed was that the other’s hair was neater and matted down, and the smile that Kei rarely had on at that age was like a permanent feature on his brother's face.

Akiteru looked ecstatic in one of photos, holding his sleeping baby brother in his arms. Behind him was an unfamiliar man, arms around his older brother and cradling the two siblings.

Kei does not remember this man, has no recollection of him whatsoever. He frowns at the ambiguity of this photo and at the nagging feeling of familiarity.

Maybe he does know them. But for him to not even have a lasting memory of the man was odd. Although, if he can’t even remember them well, he must’ve been unimportant.

Kei closes the book and puts it away. He picks up another.

Most of the images were out of focus, composition way off, and the subjects unclear. Exactly what you would expect from the hands of an elementary-schooler with a hand-me-down digital camera. He hasn’t seen this album in years. In fact, he was sure he left it in Miyagi when he had moved for university in Tokyo.

This album was his; put up together with pictures he took himself. Despite the quality that would make one's eyes hurt, it puts a twinge of nostalgia in his heart.

He runs a hand through washed out photos, fingers lingering on the memory of childhood with people he no longer knew.

Another song fades in as the previous one trails off, a familiar melody of a piano turning another set of gears in his head. But it was immediately cut off by a ring in favour of a phone call.

He closes the book in hand in the middle of browsing; shoving it into the box, before he notices that one of the photos was missing.

 

* * *

 

The static noise emanating from the radio accompanied him while he stayed seated in his station on this fine day. The way he slouched on the counter, mindlessly rocking himself on the stool he sat on, it would’ve been deemed unprofessional and unwelcoming. He would make an effort to correct his posture later, when there are actual customers to tend to.

He extends an arm towards the radio, switching from one channel to another but to no luck. All he picks up is static and the occasional intangible chatter that soon fades into even more static. With a grunt, he shuts the radio off and discreetly slips on his earphones. He sets the volume of the music to its lowest just in case the front door rings or he gets caught by his seniors.

Later today, he would meet with a couple of acquaintances. The extra baggage he had to carry on his way to the store was a mild inconvenience at best, but he figured he wouldn’t have time to make another trip back to the apartment.

It’s not every day that he gets to have actual plans. Half of his day is usually spent at work, the other half at home. Although, he doubts that spending the afternoon with Tetsurou and Kenma was a good idea. It wasn’t as if he didn’t appreciate their company, it was just that the two have interests that was way out of his own spectrum, and most importantly, his comfort zone.

Forty minutes till the end of his shift. He slides off the stool to arrange unruly stock from aisle to aisle. His hand grazes the displays as he took his time tidying up, his focus slowly drifting towards the familiar song that gently floods his ears instead of the chore he initially started doing.

Sometimes he feels as if nobody else shared the things he loved. Then again, so have a lot of people. He supposes it’s normal to feel alone like this.

It’s not so bad, he muses himself. It’s peaceful and quiet. He hums along with the melody he recognizes, the melody he finds himself playing from time to time, one that was always at the top of one of the many playlists in his phone.

The song tells a tall tale of two sweethearts, and the bumpy road they crossed through that is life. It narrates how the two had grown old together with each other as company. Kei listens to every word, absorbs every note.

He hears a certain line, the memory tied to it was rusty and distant but it fills his heart with heavy longing. Effortlessly, he mouths each word, the promise behind its message unheard just as his voice was.

It was something he wasn't consciously aware of, something he catches himself indulging on from time to time. He didn't look like the type to listen to something as such at all. His excuse most of the time is that the melody of it all catches his attention more than the lyrics did.

But did it? Maybe.

"...Will never leave your side,"

He stops as the faint words left his lips. His phone had made its way to his hand, staring at the art that went with the song and the title itself.

It was such a long time ago. Sometimes he wonders why he still remembers the little things about him, about _them_ , things that should no longer matter, things that should have been long ago washed away by the tides of time and then replaced by the present.

Is it because he still cares for them?

_Cares about what exactly? What do I know about him?_

_What do I do?_

"I didn't know you could sing, Tsukishima,"

Kei yanks off the earbuds from his ears and stuffs it in his jacket as he turns around, giving an unimpressed eye to his co-worker who had made herself comfortable at the counter and ignoring the slight twist he feels in his chest.

"I don't," Kei walks back to his place and Yui steps off with a smile. "I didn't see you come in,"

"I got in from the back," The front entrance bell opens and the brunette chirps a cheerful greeting before turning her attention back to the nonchalant blond manning the station. "You can go now if you want, by the way. Since I'm here early,"

Kei nods before he disappears into the employee lounge, his face feeling a bit warmer than usual.

 

* * *

 

The squeaking sound of sneakers against varnished wooden floors can be heard from way behind the large sliding doors that lead to the inside of the gym, and when he finally steps in, he couldn’t figure out if the sight of high ceilings and bright lights should be as refreshing as the last time he had seen it, or if it was a good idea to tag along to his friend’s invitation from a few days back.

He could use a change of pace, sure. But nothing this close to home. Kei isn’t exactly sure why he had agreed to go. But he did, and he was here, and there’s no backing out.

Kei jogs up to his four companions that settled themselves on one corner of the gym. He sets his water bottle down next to the others, and sits with his back against the wall as he lets the two seniors chatter away excitedly amongst themselves.

He’s surprised to see one of his co-workers, Keiji, with them but not anymore after learning that he was acquainted with Koutarou. Turns out they even go to the same college.

He and Keiji never talked outside of work, never interacted much as they had conflicting work schedules. It was most to say, a bit odd to see him out of his work clothes.

Such a small world they live. Indeed, it was.

“Let’s go do some warm-ups,” Tetsurou turns with a smile to the three passive individuals who sat without a word. Kenma nods and slips his phone in his bag before standing up, followed by Keiji, and then Kei.

They do a few laps around the gym and a few stretches here and there. As reluctant as he was to admit it even to himself, Kei had been falling short on exercise lately. Keeping up with warm up was more difficult than he had anticipated, but nothing too heavy.

It’s been a while since he had to use his old equipment. Thankfully enough, he only grew a couple of centimetres tall since the last time he had played. The only thing that he couldn’t use anymore was the pair of old sports goggles he used to wear during matches.

Kenma straightens his back and then stretches his arms in front of him. “I didn’t know you play,"

“I used to,” Kei rolls his shoulders with a grunt. “Not anymore, though,”

“Why not?”

“…It’s just not as important to me anymore as it used to be, I guess,”

Kenma hums in acknowledgement. Tetsurou then beckons his companions to where he is as another group of people made their way in the gym.

As soon as they were acquainted, the two groups had padded off to their respective side of the court.

The opponent’s team starts the ball in play with a simple serve, and Tetsurou was quick to receive it.

The feeling of air rushing in and out of his lungs as he moved about might as well be new to him, along with the sting it brought his skin when his palm made hard contact against rubber. His reflexes were not quite as they used to be, his reaction time a bit off as he tried to spike a toss Kenma sent his way. Tetsurou pats him with reassurance, not that he needed it.

It was just a pointless game anyway.

Koutarou serves the ball with a powerful force. The enemy team had to scramble into full alert just to receive it. Kei was mildly impressed by how the senior had managed to stir up the other team.

The rally between their team against the other went on for a little bit longer. The opponent setter immediately rushes to his post as their team successfully saves the ball, passing it to one teammate and then another until it was passed to the setter, who then tosses it to the wing spiker  to their left.

The way his eyes moved to follow the movement of the ball in play, the way he moved and braced and jumped and blocked was only muscle memory ingrained from years of training. He was surprised himself how this kind of play still came naturally to him, and how this skill hasn’t rusted to its very core despite haven’t been able to use it in such a while.

Kei felt a sharp pain in two of his fingers where the ball had sprang against, but he pays it no mind and just wrings the pain off of his hand when he landed back down from his jump.

He had also forgotten how exhilarating it is to go against others in competitions like this, whether big or small.

Tetsurou cheers from the other side of Kenma’s post.

“That was nice, Tsukishima!”

Kei stares back at his reddening hand, the burn still lingering at his fingertips. Indeed, all of this was familiar, and all of this was what he longed for. But at the same time, it isn’t, and he didn’t.

 

                           

                         

_Nice, Tsukki!_

He turns back to his teammate with an undeterred gaze.

“It was just a block,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh first of all, I'm so very sorry for the one week delay and for the lack of illustrations this chapter! ~~I've had some technical difficulties with my computer, but I will still have drawings up once I get everything fixed.~~
> 
> EDIT: Illustrations are now up!! once again, I'm sorry for the delay TT_TT
> 
> And another apology in advance for future delayed updates. My classes started last monday and obviously I've got to sort out my priorities lmao but hey!! I'm not giving up on this story yet! As you can see, things are once again up and running in Tsukki's pov and I hope to escalate things between him and Yamaguchi from here on.
> 
> Thank you for your patience, folks! I'll see ya next week


End file.
